Carrithers Middle, Louisville KY

Original Research by School Decision on Carrithers Middle

Carrithers Middle is a regular public school in the Jefferson County district, serving grades six through eight in a stretch of Louisville that lies within the city’s expansive, low-density footprint. The school shares the district’s governance and sits inside a metropolitan area defined by the Ohio River, Churchill Downs, and major employers such as UPS, Humana, and Yum! Brands. Housing in the immediate zip code area has a value above the state median, and rents have been rising at a modest pace, which together suggest a market that is accessible to many households but not the cheapest in the region. The area’s broad, merged city-county layout means that most families rely on cars for daily travel.

Academically, the school’s performance across tested subjects and grade levels places it in the bottom quartile when measured against the small set of districts in Jefferson County. Proficiency rates in math and reading are roughly in the range where about one in four students meets the state’s proficient benchmark, with eighth-grade math and seventh-grade reading a slight notch higher. Social studies results follow a similar pattern. Science results for seventh grade were suppressed in the data, so no clear picture is available for that subject. A parent would want to look into what academic support the school provides for students who are not yet at the proficiency mark, as the overall share reaching that level is lower than what many of the district’s other schools report.

The student body is diverse. White students make up the largest share, followed by Black and Hispanic students, with smaller groups of multiracial and Asian students. The school also serves a substantial share of students from low-income households, as reflected in the free and reduced-price lunch count. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a family seeking information on special education or language support programs would need to ask the school directly.

Because Carrithers Middle ends at eighth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and the school’s middle-grades focus means that postsecondary readiness measures like Advanced Placement or dual credit are not part of its profile. The data provided did not include information on course offerings, extracurricular activities, or staffing, so those dimensions remain a gap for prospective parents to explore on their own. No parent-relevant changes or strategic initiatives were found in the brief for the Jefferson County district, which suggests that no major shake-ups were publicly noted in recent months.

For a family considering this school, the main picture is a mid-sized middle school in a broad, car-oriented part of Louisville, with academic outcomes that are weaker than those of many peer schools in the county. The student population is economically and racially mixed, and the surrounding housing market is moderately priced relative to the state. Parents who value strong state test results may want to investigate what targeted interventions and enrichment options exist, as the current proficiency levels are an area of concern that the school may be working to address.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 623%

School 23% · District 28% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Grade 723%

School 23% · District 31% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 20 pts below state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 829%

School 29% · District 28% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 12 pts below state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 632%

School 32% · District 39% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 22 pts below state median · even with county median

Grade 731%

School 31% · District 36% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 18 pts below state median · ▼ 4 pts below county median

Grade 826%

School 26% · District 30% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 16 pts below state median · even with county median

Social studies

Grade 828%

School 28% · District 28%

▼ 10 pts below state median · even with county median

This schoolJefferson 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-income29%Higher-income40%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income27%Higher-income40%13 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income18%Higher-income43%25 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income17%Higher-income40%23 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income21%Higher-income26%5 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income23%Higher-income45%22 pp gap