The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Jacob Elementary
Jacob Elementary is a regular public school in Louisville’s Jefferson County Public Schools, serving students from preschool through fifth grade. It sits within the broader Louisville metro area, a region shaped by a consolidated city-county government and an economy driven by health care administration, air cargo logistics, bourbon production, and tourism. Major employers include UPS, Humana, and Yum! Brands, and the city is home to Churchill Downs and the Kentucky Derby. Louisville’s built environment is spread out, and outside the urban core, car dependence is the norm. Home values in the ZIP code that serves Jacob Elementary are well below the Kentucky state median, and rents are rising faster than the national average. The area is less affordable than many parts of the state, with typical housing costs consuming a notable share of local income.
The school enrolls a mid-sized elementary student body. Demographically, just over half of students are Black, with smaller shares of White, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the socioeconomic context of the surrounding neighborhood. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support was not available in the records reviewed.
On Kentucky’s state assessments, Jacob Elementary’s proficiency rates were low across all tested subjects and grades, placing the school in the bottom quartile of Jefferson County districts for overall proficiency when all tested subjects and grades are combined as a single index. In third-grade math, a small share of students scored proficient or above; in fourth-grade math, that share was even smaller; and in fifth-grade math, the rate fell to the lowest point among the reported grades. Reading and language arts results followed a similar pattern, with proficiency declining from third to fifth grade. Fourth-grade science proficiency was likewise low. Fifth-grade social studies proficiency was the single lowest subject result across all grades tested. These outcomes suggest that a large majority of Jacob Elementary students are performing below grade-level benchmarks in math, reading, science, and social studies as measured by the Kentucky Summative Assessment. A parent may want to investigate what academic interventions and supports the school offers and how it tracks progress toward proficiency.
Because the school ends at fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to report. The transition to a Jefferson County middle school will be a natural next step for families to consider. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes from the sources searched, so the district-level environment appears stable by that measure.
Jacob Elementary does not have any special designations as a charter or magnet school. Information on program offerings, such as art, music, gifted education, or after-school enrichment, was not available in the data provided. A family choosing this school will want to ask the school directly about the range of academic and extracurricular opportunities available to its students.
In sum, Jacob Elementary is a neighborhood elementary school in a low-density, car-oriented part of a large metro area. It serves a diverse student body that is majority Black and high-poverty. Academic proficiency as measured by state tests is well below county norms, a pattern consistent across grades and subjects. The housing market in the area is comparatively affordable by state standards, though rental costs are climbing. The school’s fit will depend on a family’s priorities: if they are looking for a school that reflects the local community and are prepared to engage actively with the school on academic improvement, this could be a viable option; if strong state test performance is a primary concern, they may want to explore other elementary schools in the district.
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