Nelson County on the map

Click a type to show or hide its schools.

District boundary from the NCES EDGE composite school district file. Each marker is a graded school; click it for its grade and scores.

Bloomfield Middle SchoolBoston SchoolCoxs Creek Elementary SchoolFoster Heights Elementary SchoolOld Kentucky Home Middle SchoolNelson County High SchoolThe New Haven SchoolBloomfield Elementary SchoolThe Academy At HorizonsNelson County Early Learning CenterThomas Nelson High School
District boundary from the NCES EDGE composite school district file; each dot is a graded school, tap or hover for its name.

SchoolGrade summary for Nelson County

Average SchoolGrade
C-
Meeting or exceeding expectations
33%
Exceeding
22%
Avg actual scores
35.3%
Avg projected
32.6%

9 of 11 schools in Nelson County carry a SchoolGrade (2 have no school-level proficiency results in our source data). Grade distribution:

B: 1C: 4D: 4

Best schools in Nelson County

Statewide rankings: all 224 high schools in Kentucky · all 206 middle schools in Kentucky · all 680 elementary schools in Kentucky

The ten highest SchoolGrades in the district. Grades reward actual test performance against the projection for each school's student context, so a B in a high-poverty school can outrank an A- elsewhere on impact.

  1. B Nelson County High School (High school, greatly exceeds expectations)
  2. C+ Thomas Nelson High School (High school, exceeds expectations)
  3. C- Coxs Creek Elementary School (Elementary school, underperforms expectations)
  4. C- Foster Heights Elementary School (Elementary school, doesn't meet expectations)
  5. C- Boston School (Elementary school, meets expectations)
  6. D+ Bloomfield Elementary School (Elementary school, doesn't meet expectations)
  7. D Bloomfield Middle School (Middle school, underperforms expectations)
  8. D The New Haven School (Elementary school, underperforms expectations)
  9. D Old Kentucky Home Middle School (Middle school, underperforms expectations)

Every school in Nelson County

High schools (2)

Middle and junior high schools (2)

Elementary and primary schools (4)

Other schools and academies (3)

Where Nelson County schools are

Cities and towns served (5)

About this district

  • State: Best schools in Kentucky
  • County: Nelson County
  • Type: regular local school district
  • Setting: distant rural (NCES locale of the district office)
  • Enrollment: 4,412 students with 288 full-time-equivalent teachers and 672 total staff FTE (NCES CCD, 2023-24)
  • NCES district ID: 2104410
  • Grades are the 2025-26 SchoolGrade model: each school's actual proficiency against the level projected for its student context. How SchoolGrade works

Nearby school districts

Questions about Nelson County

How many schools are in Nelson County?

SchoolGrade grades 11 public schools in Nelson County, across 5 cities and towns. Every one of them is listed on this page with a link to its own report.

Which cities does Nelson County serve?

The largest by graded schools: Bardstown, Bloomfield, Boston, Coxs Creek, New Haven.

How good are the schools in Nelson County?

Across the 9 graded schools, the average SchoolGrade is C-, with 35.3% of tested students meeting the state bar against a projected 32.6%. 33% of schools meet or exceed the expectation for their student context.

How many students attend Nelson County?

4,412 students were enrolled in Nelson County in the 2023-24 school year, about 15.3 students per full-time teacher (NCES Common Core of Data).

Where is Nelson County?

Nelson County is in Kentucky, based in Nelson County, with its district office in Bardstown. Its boundary covers about 405 sq mi.