Evarts Elementary School, Evarts KY

Original Research by School Decision on Evarts Elementary School

Evarts Elementary School is a regular public school serving preschool through eighth grade in the small, unincorporated coal-valley town of Evarts, Kentucky, a place with a shrinking population and a low median household income. The school sits within the Harlan County district and, because it only serves through grade eight, it has no graduation rate to report. The student body is overwhelmingly white and almost entirely low-income; a very large share of students qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch. The enrollment is modest for a school serving this grade range.

State testing results from the most recent assessment year provide a mixed picture that varies notably by grade level and subject. In elementary-grade reading, fourth graders posted a strong proficiency rate, and sixth graders did even better, with roughly three out of four scoring at or above the state standard. Fifth-grade reading was around the midpoint, with about half of students proficient. Third and seventh graders had lower proficiency rates in reading, and eighth-grade reading data was suppressed for privacy reasons. In math, the pattern was more uneven. Sixth graders had the strongest showing, with well over half proficient. Fourth graders were around the midpoint, third and fifth graders had weaker proficiency rates, and both seventh and eighth graders fell well below that mark, with fewer than one in five students proficient. In science, only fourth-grade results were reportable, and about a third of students met the proficiency bar; seventh-grade science results were suppressed. In social studies, fifth graders had a proficiency rate around a third, while eighth-grade data was again suppressed. The overall proficiency index, which averages results across all tested grades and subjects, placed this school in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Harlan County. That comparison set is very small, with only two districts in the county, so the range from top to bottom is narrow. A parent may want to look further into which grades and subjects are driving that overall picture and how the school supports students in the areas where proficiency is low.

The school environment is a small-town one. The town itself is extremely compact, lining Kentucky Route 38 along the Clover Fork of the Cumberland River. Historically a coal and mission town, it now has a residential character with limited commercial activity. The population has been in sustained decline for decades, and no major new housing or development projects were identified in publicly available sources. A branch of the Harlan County Public Library is located in town. The district itself did not have any recent parent-relevant changes reported in publicly available search results.

For a family considering this school, the core facts are straightforward. This is a small, high-poverty school in a declining community where the local economy has historically been tied to coal. In reading, several grade levels show solid proficiency, particularly in the middle elementary and early middle school years. In math, results are weaker for the upper grades. Because the school covers such a broad age range, from prekindergarten through eighth grade, a child who starts here could stay in the same building for almost a full decade before moving on to a county high school. A parent with a child in a grade where math proficiency is particularly low may want to ask the school directly about math intervention and support. For a family that values a small, familiar setting and is comfortable with the economic realities of the area, this school offers a known, contained pathway through the elementary and middle school years.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 36% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 41% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 41% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 661%

School 61% · District 49% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median

Grade 717%

School 17% · District 45% · ▼ 28 pts below district

▼ 26 pts below state median

Grade 819%

School 19% · District 45% · ▼ 26 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 47% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 470%

School 70% · District 58% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 20 pts above state median

Grade 554%

School 54% · District 52% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

Grade 677%

School 77% · District 65% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 739%

School 39% · District 54% · ▼ 15 pts below district

▼ 10 pts below state median

Science

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 44% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 533%

School 33% · District 43% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 5 pts below state median

This schoolHarlan 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.