The top reported proficiency rate is 44% in English language arts. The lowest is 21% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Cumberland County Middle School
Cumberland County Middle School serves sixth through eighth graders in Burkesville, the small rural seat of Cumberland County, Kentucky, set among the foothills of Appalachia along the Cumberland River. The school is open and operates as a regular public school within the Cumberland County district.
The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of Asian, Hispanic, multiracial, and Black students. A substantial share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is moderate for a middle school of this grade band.
State assessment results from the Kentucky Summative Assessment for the most recent school year show a mixed picture. In reading, roughly half of sixth graders scored at the proficient level or above, while seventh and eighth graders posted lower rates, both below half. Math results varied by grade, with the eighth grade cohort showing a moderately higher proficiency rate than the sixth graders, and the seventh graders positioned between them. Science results, tested only in seventh grade, were lower than those in reading and math for that grade. In social studies, tested only in eighth grade, the proficiency rate was similar to the reading rate for that grade. Across subjects, a parent may want to look into this further with the school to understand how the school supports students who are not yet meeting the proficiency benchmark and how instruction varies across grade levels.
The school's academic performance data does not include a graduation rate, which is expected for a middle school that does not serve high school grades. We looked for chronic absenteeism or discipline data but found none reported in the available records. No information on course access or staffing ratios was available either.
Burkesville itself is a town that functions as the civic and governmental center for the county, with an old-fashioned town square at its core built around the county courthouse. The local economy is shaped by county government and tourism tied to Dale Hollow Lake and the Cumberland River trout fishery. The town is growing very slowly, and recent development appears limited to road modernization and the construction of a new justice center on the square. The housing market in the area is priced below both the state and national medians, and home values have declined recently. No major new housing developments were identified in the search results.
Because Cumberland County contains only this one district, a comparison with other districts in the county was not possible. This means there is no nearby district-level benchmark to gauge how the school's performance or demographic context stacks up against a peer set.
For a family considering this school, the central factors are a rural setting with a tight-knit town square community, a student population that is largely homogenous in background and predominantly low-income, and state assessment results that vary by grade and subject, with some grades showing moderate proficiency rates in reading and math and others falling below that mark. Parents who want a deeper understanding of academic support and classroom instruction would likely benefit from a direct conversation with school staff. The absence of data on discipline, attendance, and staffing leaves gaps that families may want to explore on their own.
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