Steeplechase Elementary School, Walton KY

Original Research by School Decision on Steeplechase Elementary School

Steeplechase Elementary School, a regular public school in Walton, Kentucky, serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Boone County school system. Walton is a growing small city with a young population and a high proportion of families with children. Its built environment centers on US Route 25, and the area is car-dependent, situated near the interchange of Interstates 75 and 71, which gives it a suburban-to-exurban character. The Boone County district recently opened a new elementary school to relieve overcrowding from residential growth in the Hebron and Burlington corridor, and it has adopted a strategic plan that emphasizes career pathways and expanded career and technical education at the high school level.

The school’s enrollment is substantial for an elementary school serving these grades. Its student body is diverse: the largest group is white, followed by Black students and Hispanic students, with smaller shares of Asian students and students identifying with two or more races. A significant proportion of students—over six in ten—qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with considerable economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the provided records.

On Kentucky’s state assessments in the most recent testing year, Steeplechase Elementary’s performance varied by subject and grade level. In reading and math, results were mixed. For example, in third grade, less than half of students scored at the proficient level or above in both reading and math. Fourth-grade reading and math each showed about half of students reaching proficiency. Fifth-grade reading was stronger, with a majority of students proficient, while fifth-grade math showed exactly half proficient. In science, only fourth grade is tested; the share of students scoring proficient was below half. In social studies, tested in fifth grade, the share proficient was just over a third. Overall, when combining all tested subjects and grades into a single proficiency index, Steeplechace Elementary’s index places it in the bottom quartile relative to the two districts in Boone County. This comparison is a broad benchmark: since there are only two districts in the county, being at the lower end suggests the school’s results trail the average of Boone County Schools as a whole and the other district. A parent may want to follow up with the school for a fuller picture of how individual student groups perform, as subgroup breakdowns were not available in the data provided.

The school environment and access data, such as chronic absenteeism rates, discipline statistics, staffing ratios, and course offerings, were not included in the available records, so those aspects of school life cannot be described here. Similarly, no specific program information—such as gifted education, arts, or before- and after-school activities—was supplied.

For families considering this school, the key takeaway is a high-needs elementary school with mixed academic results. The substantial share of students from low-income households is a factor that many parents will weigh alongside the school’s recent testing outcomes. The district’s strategic focus on career pathways and college readiness may offer longer-term benefits as students move into middle and high school, but those plans do not directly affect the elementary experience yet. A parent would benefit from visiting the school, asking about supports for students who are not yet proficient, and understanding how the school addresses the range of needs in its diverse population.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 348%

School 48% · District 55% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 57% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 550%

School 50% · District 58% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

English language arts

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 54% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 449%

School 49% · District 59% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 61% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 3 pts below county median

Science

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 44% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 48% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 11 pts below county median

This schoolBoone County, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income43%Higher-income68%25 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income58%Higher-income65%7 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income54%Higher-income64%10 pp gap