The top reported proficiency rate is 61% in English language arts. The lowest is 44% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on B. Michael Caudill Middle School
B. Michael Caudill Middle School serves sixth through eighth grade in Richmond, Kentucky, as part of the Madison County Public School System. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet. Grades six, seven, and eight are all present in the building, and the school sits on the Robert R. Martin Bypass on the south side of the city.
Richmond itself is a mix of university town and regional commercial center. Eastern Kentucky University is integrated into the city fabric, not isolated on the fringe, and its presence shapes the local economy and demographics. The downtown core centers on the Madison County courthouse. The city grew substantially in the late 1990s and early 2000s and is now Kentucky’s seventh-largest city. Interstate 75 runs west of downtown, giving residents a direct route north to Lexington. The Blue Grass Army Depot, just southeast of the city, and manufacturing sectors including electronics and storage batteries provide additional local employment alongside the university and county government. The housing market in the area shows home values and rents that are above the state benchmark. The area’s median household income and unemployment rate sit near national averages.
The school’s student body is predominantly white, with smaller shares of students who identify as Hispanic, Black, or two or more races. Just over half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a share that tracks near the middle among schools in the county. Enrollment by grade is balanced across the three middle school years, with a slightly larger seventh-grade cohort.
State assessment results were reported for the most recent school year. In mathematics, sixth graders scored at a rate where a bit more than half met the state’s proficiency standard. Seventh-grade math proficiency was higher, and eighth-grade math was similar to seventh. In English language arts, sixth and seventh graders both scored at a level where roughly three out of five students met proficiency, while eighth-grade reading was lower. Science results, tested only in seventh grade, showed a smaller share of students reaching proficiency. Social studies, tested only in eighth grade, sat close to the same level as eighth-grade math. When compared to other middle schools across Madison County, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades lands in the top quartile among the county’s three districts. The school does not serve high school grades, so no graduation rate is reported. Chronic absenteeism data was not available, so that dimension of student experience could not be assessed.
No recent changes to the Madison County district that would affect this school were identified in publicly available sources. The district brief found little of lasting impact, so none are reported here. No information was available on course access, staffing ratios, discipline rates, or gifted and special education population counts. A parent looking into those aspects would need to ask the school directly.
The school does not serve high school grades, so questions about AP, dual-credit, or career pathways cannot be answered from this data. For academic support services and elective offerings, a family would need to seek information from the school itself.
For a family considering this middle school, the academic picture is one of solid, above-county-average performance in a regular public school setting. The student body reflects the broader community, with a modest economic diversity indicated by the free-lunch share. Richmond’s character as a university town and regional hub means families have access to the amenities of a small city, including the cultural and sports events tied to EKU, as well as the commercial corridors along the interstate. The school sits on a main bypass, which is a busy road; families may want to consider the commute and the immediate neighborhood around the school building when deciding.
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