Hardin County Schools Community Relations Director John Wright said 2023 was a great calendar year for the school district, with assessments showing growth among students and students proving themselves as they look beyond their K through 12 education.
“87 HCS students earned an associate’s degree from ELizabethtown Community and Technical College through the HCS Academy at EC3 and the Early College Pathway,” Wright said. “That’s the most students that have ever done that.”
528 students earned work ethic certifications at ECTC, 141 made the college’s President’s List, and 118 made the Dean’s List, along the way earning an average GPA of 3.54 in college courses.
“479 of those passed a career end-of-program assessment or earned an industry certification in one of the 37 career pathways offered by the district, so students are succeeding,” Wright said. “They are getting what they need to succeed here in Hardin County Schools.”
As the district enters 2024, Wright says a major goal is improving attendance, an issue all Kentucky schools have been battling with particularly since the COVID-19 pandemic. The district is under the state average for chronically absent students, but Wright says the district is still aiming to improve.
“Whether that be excused absences or unexcused absences, we really do need to take a focus on making sure that students are in the building and students are ready to learn,” Wright said. “You can’t learn effectively if you are not in the school building.”
Phase One of construction at Central Hardin High School is due to be completed in 2024, after which Phase Two will begin, and the district also plans to begin work on several other projects.
“Namely, the project of building a new West Hardin,” Wright said. “That land has been acquired. Everything is falling into place. Obviously there are some things that the Kentucky Department of Education has to approve, but we are looking at hopefully starting that project sometime in the calendar year of 2024.”
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