The top reported proficiency rate is 15% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Rutherford Elementary
Rutherford Elementary is a regular public school in Louisville, Kentucky, part of the Jefferson County Public Schools district. It serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, making it a neighborhood elementary school within a large, consolidated city-county system. The school is located at 301 Southland Boulevard, in a section of Louisville that, like much of the city, is part of a spread-out urban area with a mix of commercial, industrial, and residential uses. Louisville itself is a historically significant river city whose economy is now anchored by health care administration, air cargo logistics (UPS maintains its worldwide hub at the local airport), bourbon production, and tourism. The city merged with Jefferson County years ago, creating a geographically vast municipality with a relatively low population density for its size.
The student body at Rutherford Elementary is economically diverse, with a large majority of families qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. Racially and ethnically, the largest group of students is Black, followed by a substantial Hispanic population, then White students, and a smaller share of Asian students, with smaller groups of multiracial students and a tiny number of Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander students. No data on the share of students with disabilities or English learners was available in the source material.
Academic performance on the Kentucky Summative Assessment for the 2024–25 school year shows that proficiency rates were very low across all tested subjects and grade levels. In mathematics, third and fourth graders scored in the low teens, while fifth-grade math data was suppressed due to insufficient sample size. In English language arts, rates rose slightly by grade, from the low teens in third grade to the mid-teens in fifth. Science results for fourth grade and social studies results for fifth grade were also very low. When measured against other Jefferson County districts—the only direct comparison available—Rutherford Elementary’s overall proficiency index placed it in the bottom quartile among the small number of districts for which data was reported. This is a clear signal that the school faces significant academic challenges.
Because Rutherford Elementary serves only elementary grades, there is no high school graduation rate to report. Chronic absenteeism data was also absent from the available records. No information was provided about course access, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or specific academic programs such as gifted offerings, arts, or special services. The school’s Title I status was not listed, though the high share of low-income families would typically qualify a school for federal Title I funding. A parent considering Rutherford Elementary would want to inquire directly with the school about the specific academic supports and interventions in place, particularly in reading and math, given the current assessment results. The housing market in the immediate zip code showed home values somewhat below the national median and rents that are moderate for a major metro area, making the neighborhood relatively affordable.
In summary, Rutherford Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school within a large urban district. Its students are racially and economically diverse, and its state test results indicate substantial room for growth in academic achievement. Without additional program details or student support data, families would need to research how the school addresses foundational skill development and what enrichment or intervention services are available.
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