James Madison Middle School, Madisonville KY

Original Research by School Decision on James Madison Middle School

James Madison Middle School serves roughly sixth through eighth graders in Madisonville, Kentucky, within the Hopkins County district. It is a regular public school, and its student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Black and Hispanic minority and a small number of Asian and multiracial students. About half of the students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that reflects the community’s economic profile.

Academically, the school shows a clear pattern. In reading and language arts, a strong majority of sixth graders met the state’s proficiency standard, though the share declines at seventh grade and again at eighth, where only a bit more than half of students reached that level. In math, the trend is similar but notably lower: roughly half of sixth and seventh graders scored proficient, and the rate drops further for eighth graders to a level where fewer than half met the bar. Science results, available only for seventh graders, are a soft spot, with a quarter of students scoring proficient. Social studies, tested in eighth grade, sits at about half proficient.

A parent might want to ask the school specifically about how it supports students who enter below grade level and whether the drop-off in reading performance between sixth and eighth grade is something the school has identified as a focus area. The math and science numbers also suggest that families with children who struggle in those subjects should ask about intervention or tutoring resources. Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades ranks above the district average and is the highest among the relative handful of districts in Hopkins County used for comparison.

The school does not report chronic absenteeism or disciplinary data in the available records, and special education and English learner counts were also missing. A parent may want to ask the school directly about both the level of support for students with individualized education plans and how the school handles absences.

Madisonville itself is a county seat that has shifted from a coal and tobacco economy toward manufacturing and health care. Major employers include a hospital, GE Aviation, and several automotive and textile manufacturers. The city’s population has experienced a small recent decline. Housing costs sit notably below the state and national benchmarks, making the area an affordable option. The downtown centers on the courthouse and Main Street, though walkability data was not available and the school campus is on Brown Road, away from the core.

The district operates multiple middle schools spread across the county. District-level changes in recent years, such as consolidation or reorganization, were not surfaced in available web research. This particular school’s academic record presents a mixed picture. For a family with a strong reader, the sixth grade year looks promising, but the pattern in both reading and math across the middle school years is one of declining proficiency. The science results warrant particular attention from any family. The school serves as a solid performer within its local context, but families should go in aware that the trend lines are not moving uniformly upward.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 42% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 46% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 36% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 3 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 672%

School 72% · District 54% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 759%

School 59% · District 44% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 43% · ▲ 12 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median

Science

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 26%

▼ 4 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 42% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

This schoolHopkins 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.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 6Lower-income68%Higher-income78%10 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income44%Higher-income71%27 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income60%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income42%Higher-income59%17 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income38%Higher-income63%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income54%21 pp gap