Taylor Mill Elementary School, Covington KY

Original Research by School Decision on Taylor Mill Elementary School

Taylor Mill Elementary School serves the Covington area from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Kenton County district. Though its mailing address says Covington, the school is located on Taylor Mill Road in a suburban pocket north of the city center, not in Covington’s dense urban core. That distinction matters for a family weighing school choice: the school’s peer environment and housing context reflect the broader Taylor Mill and southern Kenton County area rather than the historic riverfront neighborhoods of Covington proper.

The school’s academic performance on the Kentucky Summative Assessment is a clear strength. In math, proficiency rates rise by grade level, with a noticeable jump in fifth grade. Reading and language arts follow a similar upward pattern, and fifth-grade social studies results are solid. Science for fourth graders is a softer spot; a parent may want to ask the school how they build science knowledge in the early grades and what supports are in place for students who struggle in that subject. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school’s composite proficiency index places it in the top quartile among districts in Kenton County, a strong showing that signals consistent instruction and a student body that is largely prepared for grade-level work.

The student body is predominantly white, reflecting the surrounding community. About a quarter of the population identifies as two or more races, with small shares of Hispanic and Black students. Nearly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which is a meaningful share but not overwhelming; it suggests a mix of household incomes. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a family with a child in either group should ask the school directly about specialized staffing and services.

Housing in the area tends to be moderately priced relative to national medians, and the market has been stable with slight appreciation. Compared to renting, owning a home appears financially feasible for many families, though rising mortgage rates have pushed monthly costs higher. The Kenton County district recently raised its property tax rate to fund facilities upgrades and educational programs, but district officials note the rate remains among the lower in Northern Kentucky. The district is in the middle of a strategic plan built around a Portrait of a Graduate framework, which emphasizes skills like adaptability, collaboration, and critical thinking. That framework is woven into curriculum and instruction district-wide, so a family aligned with that competency-based approach will find a coherent emphasis across the elementary years. The district has also invested in facilities improvements and technology, and a new cell phone restriction policy for instructional time went into effect for the 2025-2026 school year.

Because Taylor Mill Elementary is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report. The school’s enrollment is moderate for its grade band, and it draws from a suburban residential zone. The wider Covington area has seen modest population growth and redevelopment, including a new biotech lab hub and major bridge infrastructure projects, but the immediate school neighborhood feels more like a settled suburban corridor than a revitalizing downtown. For a family looking for a consistently above-average elementary school in a stable, moderately priced suburban setting within commuting distance of Cincinnati, Taylor Mill Elementary fits that profile well. The only real question marks are the fourth-grade science results and the lack of published data on special education and English learner populations, both of which are worth a conversation with the principal.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 359%

School 59% · District 55% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 16 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 56%

▲ 11 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 59% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 32 pts above state median · ▲ 25 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 364%

School 64% · District 58% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 17 pts above state median · ▲ 14 pts above county median

Grade 469%

School 69% · District 60% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 19 pts above state median · ▲ 13 pts above county median

Grade 575%

School 75% · District 59% · ▲ 16 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median · ▲ 20 pts above county median

Science

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 49% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

Social studies

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 48% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 21 pts above county median

This schoolKenton 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 3Lower-income50%Higher-income77%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income55%Higher-income83%28 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income63%Higher-income83%20 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income39%Higher-income79%40 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income48%Higher-income65%17 pp gap