North Magoffin Elementary, Salyersville KY

Original Research by School Decision on North Magoffin Elementary

North Magoffin Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade in the rural Magoffin County community of Salyersville. As a regular public school within the Magoffin County district, it provides the foundational years for children before they move on to middle and high school elsewhere in the county. The school sits along a highway corridor west of Salyersville’s small downtown, a compact county seat laid out in the Licking River valley.

Academically, the most recent state assessment results show a mixed picture that varies by grade and subject. In reading and language arts, proficiency rates across grades three through six hover around the halfway mark, with fourth grade posting a somewhat stronger result and fifth grade a weaker one. Math proficiency ranges more widely, from a lower point in fifth grade to a relative high point in sixth grade, where a majority of students met the state benchmark. Science and social studies, tested in grades four and five respectively, show roughly two out of five students reaching proficiency. Overall, the data suggests that students at North Magoffin Elementary perform at varying levels depending on the grade and subject area, with some grades showing clear room for improvement.

The student body is overwhelmingly white and economically disadvantaged. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the broader economic challenges of the area. Enrollment draws from the surrounding rural region, and the school enrolls a student population typical of a small elementary school serving a wide grade band.

Salyersville itself has experienced population decline over recent decades, and the local economy has contracted with the departure of manufacturing and coal mining. The public school system now stands as the largest employer in the community. Many working residents commute to larger towns and cities for jobs in skilled trades and other fields. Housing values in the area are modest relative to state and national benchmarks, and the housing market reflects the area’s limited economic growth.

The district has no notable recent changes or initiatives publicly reported that would affect families considering North Magoffin Elementary. The school operates on a separate campus from the district’s other elementary schools and the middle and high schools, which are distributed across the area.

For a family evaluating this school, the key considerations are the mixed academic performance and the high level of economic disadvantage among the student population. Parents may want to look into the specific grade-level results more closely, particularly for grades where proficiency rates are lower, and ask the school about targeted supports and interventions. The school offers no high school programs or career pathways, as it serves only elementary grades, so families should also consider the feeder pattern through the district’s middle and high schools. North Magoffin Elementary fits families seeking a small, rural elementary school in a community where the school system is a central institution and housing costs are relatively low.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 341%

School 41% · District 32% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 437%

School 37% · District 38% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 531%

School 31% · District 41% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 656%

School 56% · District 43% · ▲ 13 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 351%

School 51% · District 44% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median

Grade 458%

School 58% · District 48% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 8 pts above state median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 54% · ▼ 11 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 53% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 440%

School 40% · District 36% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 538%

School 38% · District 51% · ▼ 13 pts below district

even with state median

This schoolMagoffin 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-income54%Higher-income36%18 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income38%Higher-income54%16 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income44%11 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income42%Higher-income36%6 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income55%Higher-income61%6 pp gap