Woodland Middle School, Taylor Mill KY

Original Research by School Decision on Woodland Middle School

Woodland Middle School is a regular public middle school serving grades six through eight in Taylor Mill, a primarily residential suburban city in Kenton County, Kentucky. The school sits on a separated campus within the community, which is shaped by Interstate access and a car-oriented layout. There is no traditional downtown; the city’s commercial life concentrates in a designated business district at the Interstate interchange. The population has been relatively stable in recent years.

Academically, Woodland Middle’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the top quarter when compared with other districts in Kenton County. This is a notable strength. On the Kentucky Summative Assessment in the most recent school year, reading and English language arts results were solid across all three grades, with roughly three out of five students meeting the proficient or above mark. Math results were similar for sixth and seventh graders, but eighth-grade math dipped to a softer level. In science, which is tested in seventh grade, proficiency was lower, and in eighth-grade social studies about half of students scored proficient or above. The pattern suggests the school provides a strong foundation in literacy and middle-grades math but has areas where a parent may want to ask about extra support, particularly for eighth-grade math and seventh-grade science.

The school is mid-sized for its grade band. The student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who identify as two or more races, Hispanic, Black, or Asian. Roughly half of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, pointing to a moderate level of economic diversity. No data on the share of students with individualized education plans or English learner status were available in the information provided, so a parent interested in those areas would need to check directly with the school.

Because Woodland Middle does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on chronic absenteeism were also absent. Those are common gaps for a middle school; the school environment details such as discipline rates, staffing ratios, and course access were not in the supplied records either.

The larger district, Kenton County, has been active in shaping its approach. It adopted a strategic plan centered on a Portrait of a Graduate, a framework that defines competencies like adaptability, communication, critical thinking, and global citizenship, and the district is working to weave these into curriculum and instruction across all schools. Facilities upgrades have been completed at several campuses, including a new digital fabrication lab at one middle school and renovations at a high school. The district also approved a cell phone policy restricting phone use during instructional time, starting in the 2025–2026 school year, a change developed with input from families and staff. These initiatives reflect a district that is investing in both physical spaces and instructional philosophy.

For a family considering Woodland Middle, the picture is of a school that performs well relative to its county peers, with clear strengths in literacy and decent math results in the lower middle grades, but with some variability in eighth-grade math and science. The setting is a stable, car-centered suburb with minimal street life, and the district is actively working on modernizing instruction and managing student distractions. The gaps in special education and English learner data mean those topics would need a direct conversation with school staff.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 49% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 755%

School 55% · District 55%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 44% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 2 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 57% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 762%

School 62% · District 58% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median

Grade 856%

School 56% · District 51% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

Science

Grade 744%

School 44% · District 40% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 847%

School 47% · District 45% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state 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 6Lower-income55%Higher-income73%18 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income60%Higher-income63%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income43%Higher-income67%24 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income48%Higher-income62%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income47%Higher-income62%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income30%Higher-income54%24 pp gap