The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Social studies. The lowest is 23% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pembroke Elementary School
Pembroke Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the small, rural town of Pembroke, Kentucky. The school is part of the Christian County school district, a system that recently underwent major changes including the consolidation of Hopkinsville High School into a single comprehensive high school in 2023 and the closure of three elementary schools at the end of the 2023-2024 school year due to declining enrollment and budget pressures. Those closures reshaped attendance zones, and families should expect that Pembroke Elementary’s own boundaries may have been affected. The district also raised the property tax rate for 2024-2025 and adopted a new district-wide literacy curriculum with a structured phonics program in elementary grades.
Pembroke itself is a quiet, primarily residential town with a stagnant population over the last decade. The built environment is low-density, with single-family homes, churches, a post office, and city hall along the main roads of US Route 41 and Main Street. There are no major employers in town; residents typically commute to nearby Hopkinsville, the county seat, or to the Fort Campbell military installation. Walkability is limited to moving between nearby homes and civic buildings. The town does not have its own public library branch or dedicated public parks identified in search results, and no public transit serves the area. Housing values in the ZIP code are at a level that, when compared with national benchmarks, reflect a moderately priced market.
The school enrolls students from preschool through grade six, with a noticeable bulge at the third-grade level and a smaller sixth-grade cohort. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Black population and a notable Hispanic population. More than two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a large share of families face economic disadvantage.
On the Kentucky Summative Assessment, the school’s proficiency rates for all students varied by subject and grade. In reading, the share of students scoring proficient or above was slightly above half for third grade and fifth grade but dipped below two-fifths for fourth grade. In math, proficiency rates were below half at every tested grade level, with fourth grade the weakest. In science, only a modest share of fourth graders reached proficiency. In social studies, fifth graders performed at about half proficient. These results paint a picture of a school where a solid portion of students meet state standards in reading, particularly in third and fifth grades, but where math and science proficiency is lower across the board. A parent may want to ask the school about the specific instructional supports in place for math and science.
State testing data reflects the school’s performance through the most recent assessment year. Because the school serves only through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s charter status is not a factor here; it operates as a regular public school within the Christian County system.
The comparison set for this school is limited; among Christian County’s districts, the cohort is too small to produce a meaningful comparative positioning on proficiency, and data on chronic absenteeism and graduation rate are not available. That absence of comparison data means that families evaluating Pembroke Elementary should lean heavily on the direct assessment results and the district’s recent shifts to understand the school’s academic context.
Overall, Pembroke Elementary serves a high-need, economically disadvantaged population in a small rural town with a stable but declining population. Its academic profile shows relative strength in early-grade reading and a clear soft spot in math and science that a parent considering the school would want to explore further with staff. The district’s consolidation of elementary schools and new literacy curriculum are the most concrete recent changes a family should factor into their decision. The school’s size and setting fit a family looking for a neighborhood elementary school in a quiet, low-growth community where most economic activity lies a short drive away.
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