The top reported proficiency rate is 54% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Southside Elementary School
Southside Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Nortonville, a small residential community in southeastern Hopkins County, Kentucky. The school is part of the Hopkins County district and is located on Hopkinsville Road near the crossroads of US Routes 41 and 62. The town itself, described on its municipal website as “originally built on faith, family, coal,” originated as a railroad junction and coal mining hub and now functions as a compact, low-density residential community with limited commercial activity. Most local employment is likely found in nearby Madisonville, roughly a moderate drive north.
The student body at Southside is predominantly white, with a much smaller share identifying as two or more races and a very modest number of Black or Hispanic students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need. Enrollment is split across the elementary grades, with the largest class in fourth grade and the smallest in fifth grade; the pre-kindergarten program serves a smaller group as well. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the profile.
State testing results from the Kentucky Summative Assessment cover grades three through five in reading, math, and additional subjects at specific grade levels. On the whole, performance was mixed. In reading, a little over half of students scored proficient or above in each tested grade, with third graders posting the strongest result and fifth graders the weakest. Math results were more uneven. Third and fourth graders hovered right around the halfway mark for proficiency, but fifth graders dropped to a lower level, where fewer than two out of five reached the proficient threshold. In science, which is tested in fourth grade, just over a third of students were proficient. Fifth graders taking social studies came in at nearly half proficient. When compared to the very small number of other districts within Hopkins County, Southside’s overall proficiency index across subjects and grades placed it at the top end of that group, though the cohort of comparison districts is limited to two.
The school’s year-to-year trend data was not available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an improvement or a decline. A parent reviewing the scores may want to ask the school directly about patterns in math performance in the upper elementary grades and what supports are in place for students who are not yet meeting proficiency.
Southside Elementary does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s size is moderate for its grade band, with attendance spread across pre-kindergarten and kindergarten through fifth grade. Neither the school environment and access data nor the civil rights data provided information on discipline rates, chronic absenteeism, or staffing ratios, which are worth noting as gaps that a prospective family may wish to explore through direct inquiry with the school or district.
Housing in the area is notably affordable compared to national benchmarks. Home values in Nortonville’s ZIP code are well below both the state and national medians, and they declined slightly over the most recent year measured. The estimated monthly mortgage payment is modest, and the price-to-income ratio is well below the national average, suggesting that homeownership is accessible for many households in the community. Rents have been rising nationally, but local rental market data was not available for this area.
Nortonville is a town with little development pressure. Its population is growing very slowly, its footprint is small, and there are few businesses. The civic life centers on a city hall housed in a former Works Progress Administration-era high school building and a public recreational lake. There is no public transit system or public library within the town itself. For families, this is a setting that offers a quiet, affordable small-town environment, with the understanding that many amenities and employment opportunities will be found outside the city limits.
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