About

 Welcome to Ballard County Schools, the home of Bomber Pride! Our hometown schools offer academic excellence embedded in a unique culture. We are one of KDE’s Districts of Distinction, where our small-school atmosphere offers big-time opportunities.

We have one school at each level: Ballard County Preschool-Head Start, Ballard County Elementary, Ballard County Middle, and Ballard Memorial High schools. With an average of about 100 students per grade level, every teacher will know your child, providing individualized instruction tailored to specific needs. As a bonus, your child will develop relationships with teachers and classmates that will last a lifetime.

Our college and career readiness rates are some of the best in the state. Employers and college counselors tell us that our students come to them not only with solid academic skills, but also with old-school values like respect, manners, and a work ethic second to none.

Your family can enjoy the best of rural life with big-city amenities – a friendly, welcoming community, with county-wide fiber internet service, and plenty of places to take advantage of the great outdoors. We are the only school district in Ballard County, and enjoy overwhelming support from our community. 

Here’s a thumbnail look at what’s available at our schools:

Ballard County Preschool - Head Start:

  • 94 students, ages 3 and 4; eligibility is low income, developmental delays or tuition-based.
  • 136-day schedule, with morning and afternoon sessions Monday-Thursday, August-May
  • One full-day classroom for 4 year olds, Monday-Thursday, August-May
  • 5-STAR rating, based on the state’s STARS for Kids system
  • All teachers have IECE certifications curriculum follows Teaching Strategies Gold curriculum  
  • Full collaboration with regional Head Start services
  • Wrap-around hours for in-house daycare
  • Transportation provided to/from school for half-day sessions.
  • Special education services (speech, occupational therapy, physical therapy)
  • Services for mental health and family counselors available.
  • Includes individualized education plans specific to each child’s need and ability level. 

Ballard County Elementary School:

  • 443 students, K-5
  • 15:1 Student to Teacher Ratio
    • 1:1 Chromebooks, Google Classrooms
    • Leader in Me School
    • WatchDogs School
    • On Campus Mental Health Services
      • 21st Century: Before- and after-school remedial and enrichment services, Monday-Thursday, September-April
      • Career Week visits to district career and technical center, robotics classes
      • Cultural field trips to regional performance venues, guest theater teacher; music and art classes for all students
      • Activities/sports: Academic Team; Future Problem Solving Team; Lego Robotics Team; STLP; LIM Student Light House Team; Boy and Girl Scouts; chorus; 4-H Clubs; student council; annual science fair, speech festival, talent show, career day; and Little League basketball, football, cheerleading; news program

      Ballard County Middle School:

      • 199 students, grades 6-8
      • Students in grades 6 and 8 can take classes in the district career and technical center, including medical exploration, CTC exploration, and family and consumer science.
      • Activities/clubs/sports: Academic Team, regional Science Bowl, choir, band, Office, Student Council, Class Officers, rewards/incentives, library/reading, 4-H, FCA, baseball, basketball, cheerleading, football, golf, softball, tennis, track and volleyball. 

      Ballard Memorial High School:

      • 279 students, grades 9-12
      • Ballard Memorial High School was named in honor and remembrance of Ballard County veterans who gave their lives in service of their country. BMHS is comprised of two separate facilities: the main building and Ballard County Career and Technical Center. The high school is connected with the middle school, providing students a direct bridge between middle and high school experiences. A new state-of-the-art facility was opened in 2006, while a sense of tradition and community was preserved by building this new facility around the existing gymnasium. Our mission statement is "Every student. Every decision. Every day." Our vision is whatever we do, individually or collectively, we do with the best interest of the student in mind.
      • Our Core Values are Truth, Honor, and Loyalty.
      • We use a seven-period day, allowing students to explore at least 28 different courses during their high school career. We offer several advanced placement classes and a wide range of dual enrollment courses, giving students the ability to graduate with an associate's degree. We offer dual credit courses in business, communications, computers, culinary arts, health sciences, and welding. 
      • Our students, through our partnerships with West Kentucky Community and Technical College and Murray State University, can leave high school with up to 36 hours of college credit or receive certification in several CTE programs at a discounted tuition cost. Qualifying students can take up to two tuition-free classes each semester.
      • Ballard’s career and technical center is one of the few locally-funded CTCs, and was named the top-rated CTC in the state of Kentucky by the Southern Regional Education Board. All of our students attend at least one class there.
      • We offer career activities like job shadowing, cooperative work-based learning, and internships in a number of career pathways. Students can graduate with state certifications in welding and nursing, as well as industry certifications in agriculture, business, and early childhood development.
      • Leadership opportunities are available through numerous organizations. Ballard students have been accepted in nearly every major honors program: Governor’s Scholars, Governor’s School for the Arts, Gatton Academy, Commonwealth Honors Academy, Hugh O’Brian Youth Leadership Conference, state FFA degrees, and 4-H Gold Level achievement awards.
      • Activities/clubs/sports: Academic Team, regional science bowl, choir, band; FBLA, FCA, FFA, HOSA, Beta, Student Council, Pep, STLP, and STAND; baseball, basketball, cheerleading, football, golf, softball, tennis, track, and volleyball.

      All of our schools are located on a single campus, conveniently located on U.S. 60 just west of LaCenter. We’d love for you to come and see the difference for yourself. You can contact our building principals or superintendent directly, or for more general information about enrollment, our director of pupil personnel. All phone numbers are 270-665-8400, followed by the extensions below:

      BCPS/Special Education: Terri Gentry – terri.gentry@ballard.kyschools.us, ext. 2101

      BCES: Chris Sheffer – chris.sheffer@ballard.kyschools.us, ext. 2201

      BCMS: Amber Parker – amber.parker@ballard.kyschools.us, ext. 2301

      BMHS: Tim Adams – tim.adams@ballard.kyschools.us, ext. 2501

      Superintendent Dr. Casey Allen – casey.allen@ballard.kyschools.us, ext. 2001

      Director of Pupil Personnel Leslee Davis – leslee.davis@ballard.kyschools.us, ext. 2014

      Helpful Links

      Online policy/procedure manual-This link allows you to view the policies and procedures of Ballard County Schools on line.

      District Report Card-There are four components to Kentucky School Report Card, all of which can be found KDE’s school data website at raisethebar.education.ky.gov.