Highland Elementary School, Glasgow KY

Original Research by School Decision on Highland Elementary School

Highland Elementary School serves the city of Glasgow, operating as a regular public school within the Glasgow Independent district and teaching students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. Located on Scottie Drive, the school is situated in a community that is both a county seat and a manufacturing hub, where a recent major investment in a new plant is expected to add hundreds of jobs. The city has a historic downtown and a mix of residential neighborhoods and industrial areas, giving it a small-city feel with anchors like a public library and municipal broadband. Housing values in the area roughly track the state average and remain below the national figure, making it a relatively affordable place to live.

Academically, state assessment results from a recent testing year present a mixed picture. In mathematics, proficiency rates among tested students were around two-fifths at third and fifth grades and just over half at fourth grade. In English language arts, the pattern was similar: roughly two-fifths of third and fifth graders met the bar, while fourth graders showed a stronger result at nearly three-fifths. Science results for fourth grade were below two-fifths, and social studies results for fifth grade were about three-tenths. The school’s overall proficiency index sits below the midpoint when compared against other districts in Barren County, with a slightly higher index for the district’s other elementary school and a slightly lower one for the county’s third district. These figures give a reader a clear sense that while some grades and subjects are close to the middle of the local pack, others lag, and a parent with a child entering a specific grade may want to look into the most recent classroom-level details with the school.

The student body is large for an elementary school, with an enrollment that serves multiple sections at each grade level. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating that the school draws from a population with significant economic need. The racial and ethnic makeup is predominantly white, with Hispanic students and students who identify as two or more races each making up a notable portion, and smaller shares of Black, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and American Indian or Alaska Native students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the record, so a parent with a child who has an IEP or who is learning English should ask the school directly about those supports.

The school is part of the Glasgow Independent district, which recently invested heavily in capital construction, a publicly reported signal that facilities across the district have seen significant upgrades. The grade band means there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism and discipline was not provided. The school is not a charter and charter status is false, it is a regular public school with no magnet designation, and its Title I status was not given. Glasgow’s downtown and civic offerings are a short drive from the school, and the local economy is anchored by manufacturing, retail, and healthcare, with the WKU regional campus nearby. For a family considering this school, the academic data points to uneven performance across grades and subjects, with fourth grade standing as a relative strength, while the school’s size and economic diversity create a busy, mixed environment typical of a community elementary school in a mid-sized Kentucky city.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 42% · ▼ 1 pts below district

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

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 45% · ▼ 6 pts below district

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

English language arts

Grade 345%

School 45% · District 47% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 58%

▲ 8 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Grade 546%

School 46% · District 51% · ▼ 5 pts below district

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

Science

Grade 438%

School 38% · District 45% · ▼ 7 pts below district

even with state median

Social studies

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 38% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

This schoolGlasgow Independent, 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 3Lower-income36%Higher-income58%22 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income53%Higher-income63%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income45%Higher-income47%2 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income44%5 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income59%12 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income39%0 pp gap