The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 25% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Cane Ridge Elementary School
Cane Ridge Elementary School, a regular public school in Paris, Kentucky, serves students from kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Bourbon County district. It occupies a sizable building on Bypass Road, just outside the downtown core of this small historic county seat. The city of Paris, population roughly in the thousands, blends a residential community with Thoroughbred horse farms, some light manufacturing, and a traditional downtown grid anchored by the county courthouse, a public library, and a handful of historic structures like Duncan Tavern. Paris is part of the Lexington metropolitan area and sits a moderate drive northeast of that urban center.
The school’s enrollment is concentrated across six grade levels, with a clear majority of students identifying as white and a notable share identifying as Hispanic, along with much smaller numbers identifying as Black, Asian, or two or more races. The student body overall qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch at a rate that positions the school as serving a substantial proportion of families with lower incomes. A parent should note that data on students with individualized education programs and on English learners was not provided; if these student populations are a concern, a family may want to ask the school directly about how those groups are supported.
On the Kentucky Summative Assessment for the most recent testing year, Cane Ridge Elementary’s results varied by subject and grade. In reading, the share of students scoring proficient or above fell into a range that was moderate and inconsistent across grades. In math, the proficiency picture was lower, with one grade reporting a figure above the mid-range of the county’s elementary schools, while in another grade the state suppressed the result, likely due to a small number of students in that group. In fourth-grade science, the data was also suppressed. Fifth-grade social studies showed about a third of students at proficiency. The school’s overall performance, when averaged across all tested grades and subjects, sat just above the midpoint among the two districts in Bourbon County, a narrow comparison set. These numbers provide a baseline, though the pattern of suppressed results in certain grades means the full picture is incomplete.
The Bourbon County district itself, as reported in publicly available materials, did not show recent major policy or curriculum changes that a parent would need to track. This lack of change may be a neutral signal, but it also means a family relying on the district for strategic direction or academic improvement plans may need to follow local board meetings or district communications more closely.
The school is a regular elementary setting, not a charter or magnet, and its grade band means it does not produce a graduation rate. A family looking at Cane Ridge Elementary should consider the academic proficiency data as a starting point. The low-to-moderate rates on state tests, particularly in math, represent a soft spot that a parent would want to discuss with the school administration. The school may be best suited for families who are comfortable engaging directly with teachers and the principal to understand what academic supports are available, especially for students who arrive below grade-level benchmarks. For families weighing this school against others, the local housing market in Paris, as reflected by home values and rents, is an important factor in the decision, and the school’s location puts it within reach of the town’s civic resources, though the district’s school campuses are not concentrated in a single walkable downtown area.
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