Wrigley Elementary School, West Liberty KY

Original Research by School Decision on Wrigley Elementary School

Wrigley Elementary School sits in Morgan County, serving students from preschool through fifth grade. It is one of four elementary schools in the Morgan County district, located in and around the small Appalachian county seat of West Liberty. The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet.

The student body is modest in size, with enrollment spread across the elementary grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the area. The student population is overwhelmingly white, with small numbers of Hispanic, Asian, Black, and multiracial students.

State assessment results for the most recent testing year show a mixed picture across subjects and grade levels. In math, the share of students reaching the proficient or above threshold varies notably by grade, with the lowest performance in third grade and a higher share in fifth grade. Reading and language arts results are more consistent across grades, with roughly half or more of students meeting the bar in grades three through five. In science, which is tested in fourth grade, a smaller share of students scored proficient or above, and social studies in fifth grade shows a similar pattern. As an elementary school serving only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate, and no state testing data exists for the early primary grades because those grades are not tested under Kentucky’s assessment system.

The Morgan County district has made several recent changes that affect Wrigley Elementary. A new phonics-based reading curriculum was implemented across all elementary schools starting in the 2023-2024 school year, aligned with state standards. The district also completed a 1:1 technology initiative, providing Chromebooks to every student. Through the Community Eligibility Provision, all students in the district receive free breakfast and lunch regardless of family income. For families looking ahead, the high school has expanded dual-credit and career and technical education pathways, though those are not directly relevant to an elementary student now.

West Liberty is a small town that has been rebuilding since a devastating tornado in the early 2010s caused extensive damage to the downtown. Post-tornado reconstruction has been ongoing, and the population has grown modestly since then. Home values in the area have softened recently, though the broader housing market context is less expensive than the state average. The town offers a compact downtown core with government buildings, seasonal festivals, and nearby outdoor recreation at Cave Run Lake and Daniel Boone National Forest. No public transit system was identified in available sources, and the area is car-dependent.

Because Morgan County is the only school district in the county, there are no meaningful comparisons to other districts within the same county. The data available for Wrigley Elementary does not include information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing, or course access, so a full picture of the school environment and student support is not possible from the provided evidence. A parent or resident may want to follow up directly with the school on these topics. Overall, Wrigley Elementary offers a small, rural elementary setting with a district that has invested in reading curriculum and technology access, while academic performance across tested subjects and grades shows areas where the school might focus attention.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 331%

School 31% · District 36% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 450%

School 50% · District 51% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 563%

School 63% · District 52% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 358%

School 58% · District 49% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 453%

School 53% · District 59% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 3 pts above state median

Grade 560%

School 60% · District 66% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Science

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 37% · ▼ 7 pts below district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 535%

School 35% · District 49% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 3 pts below state median

This schoolMorgan 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-income58%Higher-income58%0 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income67%10 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 5Lower-income57%Higher-income75%18 pp gap