The top reported proficiency rate is 45% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hazard Middle School
Hazard Middle School serves fifth through eighth graders in the Hazard Independent district, a small urban system within the city that operates one school at each level. The school’s enrollment is relatively modest for a middle school spanning four grades, and a substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who are Black, Asian, or of two or more races.
The core academic picture comes from the Kentucky Summative Assessment. In reading and math, proficiency rates vary across grade levels, and overall attainment is significantly below statewide averages. In fifth-grade math, roughly a quarter of students reached the proficient or distinguished level, while eighth-grade math was notably stronger, with just over half of students achieving that mark. Reading results followed a similar pattern: fifth grade was the lowest, with roughly a third proficient, and seventh grade was the highest, at just over half. Science is tested in seventh grade, and about three in ten students scored proficient. Social studies, tested in fifth and eighth grades, showed proficiency rates in the mid-to-upper thirties. When the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is compared against the two other districts in Perry County, Hazard Middle School sits at the bottom of that very small cohort. A parent looking at these results should understand that the school is working from a low starting point, particularly in the lower middle grades.
The neighborhood comparison is limited by the fact that there are only two districts in the county. With such a small set, a “bottom quartile” position essentially means it trails the other Perry County district. Broader state-level context is not available in the comparison data, but the raw proficiency figures are well below the Kentucky state averages a parent would expect to see. This is a school where families should expect to engage with teachers and administration about academic support, especially for students entering in fifth grade.
The city of Hazard is a regional hub for the southeastern Kentucky coalfields, with a commercial downtown and a history centered on coal mining. Median household income is low and the poverty rate is high, reflecting the region’s economic challenges. The July 2022 Appalachian floods devastated Perry County, destroying infrastructure and damaging or destroying thousands of homes. Recovery and rebuilding remain the dominant local narrative. Housing values in the area are well below the Kentucky median, and the market has seen a notable year-over-year decline, making entry-level homeownership relatively affordable by national standards but within a constrained local economy. The school is part of a small district where each level is served by a single school, so students progress through the system alongside the same peer group; there is no within-district school choice at the middle level.
No recent changes or strategic initiatives at the district level were found in publicly available sources, so this narrative does not attempt to characterize district direction beyond what the school’s own data shows. For a family considering this school, the central question is fit. A student entering Hazard Middle School will attend a small, stable school in a community that is economically challenged and still recovering from a natural disaster. The academic results are below typical benchmarks, and a family moving to the area may want to speak directly with the school about intervention programs, tutoring, and how the school supports students who arrive behind grade level. For families already in the district, the school is the only option for those grades, and the primary academic concern is the gap between current proficiency and state standards, particularly in the earlier middle-school years.
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