In partnership with and in service to our community, the mission of Ballard County Schools is to prepare every student to be a successful individual. Our 1,300-plus students not only attend core content courses, but also have rich choices for additional opportunities. We have one high school and an interconnected middle school, one elementary and one preschool, located off-campus in LaCenter. A brand-new, state-of-the-art high school opened in January 2006; a new middle school followed in 2007.
Our staff members, certified and classified, all work toward sustaining a positive learning environment with high expectations for all students. Our faculty receives extensive professional development in the areas of differentiated instruction and recognition of diverse learning styles. Ballard County is constantly in the process of analyzing school culture, plus classroom and test data, in an effort to ensure excellence.
Our rural setting and background offer small-town amenities without sacrificing current technological resources. With the opening of our new schools, our upper-level students will have a 2.5 to 1 student-computer ratio. There is an interactive Smart Board in every middle and high school classroom, where technology is integrated into the curriculum on a daily basis. Our teachers bring Internet-accessible materials to life, enhancing the exposure and realism of many studied subjects. We also offer electronic products like Quizdom, credit recovery through Plato, and instruction in many other kinds of software currently used by business and industry.
We begin with 3- and 4-year-olds, and continue offering life-long learning classes through our adult and career education divisions. Our younger students can receive some forms of speech and occupational therapies on-site at their schools. For our older students, we currently offer seven advanced placement classes in subjects ranging from English to chemistry, and 13 dual-credit courses in association with West Kentucky Community and Technology College in Paducah. Students can leave high school with a significant number of college credits, or receive certification in several vocational programs, all without any additional tuition costs.
All curricula are aligned to the Kentucky Program of Studies, Academic Expectations. Core content for assessment programs used in classroom instruction is research-based. School and district planning follows the Kentucky Department of Education document of Standards and Indicators of School Improvement.
Our purpose at Ballard County Schools is to ensure that every student receives an education based on high academic standards and gets the resources needed to attain success, regardless of socio-economic status, race, or gender. Our system is an equal education and employment opportunities institution. We are fully compliant with Title IX and Title I standards, as well as in requirement of Individual Education Plans for special-needs students and Individual Graduation Plans.
Co-curricular programs provide additional opportunities for students to develop skills for the real world. The following activities are offered to our students:
Elementary: Academic Team; Junior Beta Club; art and speech festivals; science fair, student council; talent show; 4-H Clubs; Boy and Girl Scouts; chorus; Fifth Dimension Mall; and Little League basketball, football, and cheerleading.
Middle: Academic Team, Future Problem Solving, student council, Honor Society, choir and band.
High: Academic Team, student council, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, Future Teachers Association, National Art Honor Society, Beta Club, Y-Club, Future Business Leaders of America, Spanish Club and Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, choir and band.
Middle- and high-school sports: golf, football, basketball, volleyball, softball, baseball, track, cross-country, tennis and swimming.