The top reported proficiency rate is 30% in Math. The lowest is 16% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Okolona Elementary
Okolona Elementary is a regular public school in Louisville serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools system, the largest district in Kentucky. The school is located on Preston Highway in the southern part of the city, an area that mixes commercial strips and residential neighborhoods. Louisville itself is a low-density, sprawling city whose economy is anchored by health care administration, the UPS air cargo hub at the airport, bourbon production, and tourism. The school’s ZIP code area has home values that sit around the middle of the national range, and rents are moderate relative to incomes, a pattern that may attract families looking for more accessible housing within commuting distance of the city’s major employers.
The student body is diverse. Roughly two out of every five students are Hispanic, while slightly more than a quarter are white and another quarter are Black. A very small share of students are Asian, and the remainder identify as two or more races. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a measure that signals lower household income for a substantial share of families. The total enrollment is small for a school serving these grade levels. Data on the share of students with disabilities and those classified as English learners was not available, so it is not possible to assess the depth of specialized support the school offers without checking directly with the school.
State testing results for the most recent year show a mixed picture. In reading, about a third of third graders scored proficient or above, as did a similar share of fifth graders; fourth-grade reading proficiency was lower. In math, the share of students meeting the proficient bar was lower across all tested grades. Science results for fourth grade were suppressed and not reported. Social studies results for fifth graders were low. A parent may want to ask the school how it supports students who are below proficiency, and whether there are academic intervention programs in place. The school’s overall proficiency index, which averages across all tested subjects and grades, places it in the bottom quartile relative to other districts in Jefferson County. This is a soft spot that warrants a closer conversation with school leadership about instructional priorities and targeted supports.
Because Okolona Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate. The school is a regular public school and is not a charter or magnet. Information on discipline, staffing ratios, attendance rates, and course access was not available in the data. A parent looking for full-day pre-K, or particular enrichment programs such as art, music, or foreign language, would need to confirm those offerings directly with the school. No district-level changes were confirmed in the research, so it is unclear whether Jefferson County Public Schools is undergoing any boundary adjustments, program consolidations, or strategic shifts that could affect Okolona.
For a family considering this school, the main factors are a diverse student population, a high share of students from lower-income households, and state test results that lag behind other schools in the county. The housing costs in the area are moderate, and the school sits within a large urban school district with many options. A parent who values academic rigor and sees strong proficiency as a priority may want to look further into how the school addresses skill gaps. A parent who sees diversity and a neighborhood setting as more important, and is comfortable working with the school on academic challenges, may find this a reasonable fit.
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