The top reported proficiency rate is 12% in English language arts. The lowest is 4% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on King Elementary
King Elementary is a regular public school serving kindergarten through fifth grade in Louisville, Kentucky. It is part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district, the state’s largest. The school sits in the 40211 zip code, an area where home values and rents are both well below national averages, consistent with a community of high economic need. A substantial share of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a figure that places the school in a high-poverty bracket. Enrollment is small for an elementary school. The student population is predominantly Black, with smaller shares of students who are Hispanic, white, of two or more races, and American Indian.
Louisville itself is a sprawling city with a consolidated city-county government, known for its health care and logistics industries, bourbon production, and the Kentucky Derby. Its population density is low relative to its land area, meaning many neighborhoods are car-dependent. The school’s location is in the western part of the city, an area that has historically experienced disinvestment and concentrated poverty. The housing stock there is among the most affordable in the metro area, and rents are modest. For a family considering this school, the immediate neighborhood offers low-cost housing but limited amenities; commuting to other parts of Louisville would be typical.
Academically, the state assessment results from the 2024-25 school year show very low proficiency rates. For third grade, the only tested grade for which both math and reading results were reported, about 7 percent of students scored proficient or above in math and about 12 percent in reading. In fifth grade social studies, roughly 4 percent reached proficiency. Results for other grades and subjects were suppressed, likely due to small testing group sizes. Across all reported subjects and grades, the school’s overall proficiency index is in the bottom quarter among the handful of districts in Jefferson County with comparable data. These numbers represent a clear soft spot. A parent researching the school will want to look into this further with the school and the district, including what academic interventions and supports are in place, how student progress is measured beyond state tests, and what the school’s improvement trajectory looks like.
Because the school does not serve high school grades, no graduation rate is reported. Data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, and course access were not available for this profile, so those dimensions of school life are not captured here. No program offerings—such as gifted services, arts, or special education support—were provided in the data. The district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes, though the Jefferson County system as a whole has navigated enrollment shifts and facility planning in recent years.
In short, King Elementary serves a high-poverty student body in an affordable corner of Louisville. Its academic performance, as reflected in state assessments, is very low, and families would want to investigate the school’s approach to instruction and student support before enrolling. The school’s small size may allow for closer relationships between staff and students, but the data do not speak to that directly. For a family whose priority is a school with strong academic outcomes, this is not the typical match. For a family committed to the neighborhood and willing to be actively involved in their child’s education, it is worth a direct conversation with the principal and teachers to understand current efforts and future plans.
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