The top reported proficiency rate is 69% in English language arts. The lowest is 55% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Hazel Green Elementary School
Hazel Green Elementary is a regular public school in Laurel County serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of two school districts in the county, and within that small set it shows the strongest overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades, a meaningful signal for a family weighing elementary options in this part of southeastern Kentucky.
The school’s academic profile comes from the Kentucky Summative Assessment in math, reading, science, and social studies. In math, third-grade students showed a moderate share reaching proficiency, while fourth graders hit a notably higher mark, and fifth graders fell somewhere in between. Reading results were similar: third grade posted a solid level, fourth grade rose higher, and fifth-grade reading data was suppressed by the state, meaning it is not reported here, so families may want to check with the school directly for that year’s performance. In science, fourth graders placed around the midpoint, and fifth graders earned a strong result in social studies. Taken together, the school’s composite proficiency index places it above the other district in the county, which is a straightforward strength for a small comparison set.
Enrollment at Hazel Green runs around three hundred fifty students. The student body is overwhelmingly white, with a very small number of Hispanic students and even fewer Black, Native American, or multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the area. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the records we reviewed, so a parent with a child in either category should ask the school about those supports.
The school sits in East Bernstadt, a small census-designated place in Laurel County with a history as a coal-mining community settled by Swiss immigrants and centered on a railroad junction. The town today is quiet and residential, with a mix of single-family homes and mobile homes set among rolling hills. It is not a walkable place; there is no downtown, no sidewalks described in available sources, and the school itself is located along a highway. Most residents own their homes, and many are retirees. Housing is affordable compared to the state as a whole, and the cost of living is low. The nearest city for shopping and services is London, a short drive to the southeast. Civic anchors include Levi Jackson Wilderness Road Park and the nearby Daniel Boone National Forest, which offer outdoor recreation, but no local library branch or transit service was identified.
Because Hazel Green only goes through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider, and the high school options are through Laurel County Public Schools, the district that operates this elementary. The district’s recent publicly reported changes were minimal, so the surrounding policy and leadership landscape appears stable.
For a family, the picture is of a small, majority-white elementary school in a rural, low-cost community where academic proficiency is solid and, within this county, the top performer. The school serves a population with economic need, and the test results suggest the school is meeting that challenge in math and reading, particularly by fourth grade. The missing data on special education and English learner services, and the suppressed fifth-grade reading result, are gaps worth investigating. The community is quiet, not dense, and oriented around highway access. A parent who values a small school in a stable, affordable, nature-adjacent setting, and who is comfortable driving for most services, may find Hazel Green Elementary a practical fit.
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