Case Study: Perry County Central High School achieves higher graduation rates and stronger college and career readiness with Edmentum's Plato Courseware

Recovery and Preparation During Tough Economic Times

Perry County Central High School (PCC) in Hazard, KY, is a rural 900‑student high school serving a community hit hard by declines in the coal industry; about three‑quarters of students are economically disadvantaged and local unemployment has risen. Faced with the urgent need to improve college and career readiness and keep students on track to graduate, PCC sought scalable, accessible instructional tools beyond traditional printed materials.

PCC expanded its use of Plato Courseware from credit recovery into regular-day recovery, summer school, ACT and placement test prep, adult education, RTI support, and BYOD-enabled instruction. The results: four‑year graduation rose from 81.7% (2013) to 85.9% (2014), college‑and‑career readiness climbed from 18% (2010) to 56.8% (2014) — outpacing state targets — and the credit recovery program saw 98% of remaining seniors graduate, helping many students achieve on‑time diplomas.

Perry County Central High School

Lea Sparks

Assistant Principal