The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in Math. The lowest is 23% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Westside Elementary School
Westside Elementary School serves students in preschool through fifth grade in Cynthiana, the seat of Harrison County. The school is a regular public school and is one of four elementary schools in the Harrison County district. Cynthiana is a small river town straddling the South Fork of the Licking River, positioned roughly equidistant between Cincinnati and Lexington, which gives it a small-town feel with regional access to two larger metro areas. The town’s economy is anchored by the 3M plant that produces nearly all of the world’s Post-it notes, and the Harrison County School District itself is a significant local employer. The town frames its growth as intentional, focused on preserving character while enhancing walkability and supporting local business, and its population has grown modestly in recent years.
The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic students and students identifying as two or more races. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with considerable economic need. The grade-level enrollment is relatively even across kindergarten through fourth grade, with a slightly smaller group in fifth grade. Because Westside serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school does not offer high-school-level programs such as Advanced Placement or career and technical pathways.
On state assessments administered in the 2024-25 school year, Westside posted results that show a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In reading, third and fourth graders performed at a level where a majority met the state’s proficiency benchmark. Fifth-grade reading proficiency was notably lower, with a smaller share reaching that bar. In math, third graders also had a majority meeting proficiency, fourth graders were close to that mark, and fifth graders again showed a weaker result. Science results for fourth grade were suppressed, so no public figure is available for that subject. Fifth-grade social studies proficiency was low, with a minority of students meeting the standard. The pattern of lower proficiency in the upper elementary grades, particularly in fifth grade, is something a parent may want to explore further with the school to understand what support is in place for older students.
The data for the school does not include information on chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, or discipline. The comparison set for this school, relative to other districts in Harrison County, was too small to position Westside meaningfully against a peer group, since the county has only a single district. The district itself did not have any recent parent-relevant changes publicly reported in a way that could be captured.
Housing in the area around the school, based on the ZIP code covering Cynthiana, is priced below the national typical home value, though above the statewide typical value. The estimated monthly mortgage cost is lower than the national rent-to-income benchmark suggests many households face, which may make homeownership accessible for many families in the district. A search for the school’s specific program offerings, such as art, music, foreign language, or gifted education, did not return information, so the breadth of enrichment opportunities is not clear from the available data.
For a family considering Westside, what emerges is an elementary school in a small, economically mixed community that shows varied academic performance, with stronger results in the early tested grades and a noticeable drop-off by fifth grade. The town is described as affordable and growing slowly, with a historic downtown and a major manufacturing employer. The school is one of four elementary options in the county, but the available data does not speak to how it differs from its sibling schools in programming or culture. A family would likely want to visit, talk to the principal about the fifth-grade performance trend, and ask about enrichment offerings to round out the picture.
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