East Perry County Elementary School, Hazard KY

Original Research by School Decision on East Perry County Elementary School

East Perry County Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in Perry County, Kentucky. Because it covers such a wide grade span, most students who start here remain in the same building for a full decade, something that appeals to families who want continuity through the middle school years. The school is part of the Perry County district, not the separate Hazard Independent district that serves the city proper, and its address is in Hazard despite being outside the city’s school system.

The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic, Black, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic conditions of the region. This share is high enough that any family considering the school will want to understand how the school uses its federal funding and what supplemental programs are available. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported, so a parent seeking those supports would need to ask the school directly.

State testing results from the most recent year paint a mixed picture. Reading and language arts are a relative strength, particularly in fourth and fifth grades, where a broad majority of students scored proficient or above. Sixth and seventh grade reading results are solid as well. Math results are more uneven. Fourth graders performed very well, but third graders and eighth graders both showed low proficiency rates. Fifth and sixth grade math falls in a middle range. Science scores are only available for fourth grade, where the rate is fair, and seventh grade science was suppressed, so no full picture there. Social studies, tested in fifth and eighth grades, shows low proficiency rates across both years.

When compared with the other school district that operates in Perry County, this school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades sits above the midpoint. That comparison is useful as a local benchmark, but it is a narrow one—only two districts in the county—so it does not tell a parent how the school stacks up against schools across Kentucky.

The surrounding community of Hazard has deep roots in coal mining, and the city has faced serious hardship in recent years. Publicly reported details describe devastating floods in 2022 that destroyed much of the county’s infrastructure, damaged a large number of homes, and led to a loss of life. The population, after a period of increase, has since dropped. Housing values in the area are low and have declined recently, making it one of the more affordable places in the state to live. The local economy still revolves around the coal industry, an industrial park near the airport, and institutional employers like Hazard Community and Technical College.

The school itself occupies a single building on Perry Circle Road, set in the narrow valley of the North Fork Kentucky River. With no high school grades, East Perry does not report a graduation rate, and there are no AP or career pathway programs to evaluate at this level. The district brief found no major recent changes bearing on parents, such as boundary adjustments, leadership turnover, or curriculum overhauls.

A parent considering this school should weigh its convenience and continuity against the uneven academic results. The early elementary years show a particular soft spot in math that a family may want to investigate with the staff. The strong fourth and fifth grade reading results suggest the school is capable of solid performance in some areas, but the wide range of proficiency across grades and subjects means that a child’s experience may vary depending on the teacher and the year. The high poverty rate and the community’s ongoing recovery from natural disaster add layers of context that shape what the school can offer and what families bring with them through the door. This is a school for a family that values a familiar, long-term setting in a small-town Appalachian environment and is prepared to be actively involved in tracking their child’s academic progress, especially in math.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 324%

School 24% · District 43% · ▼ 19 pts below district

▼ 19 pts below state median

Grade 476%

School 76% · District 56% · ▲ 20 pts above district

▲ 31 pts above state median

Grade 543%

School 43% · District 48% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 642%

School 42% · District 51% · ▼ 9 pts below district

even with state median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 44% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 839%

School 39% · District 38% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 2 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 343%

School 43% · District 57% · ▼ 14 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Grade 474%

School 74% · District 64% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 24 pts above state median

Grade 574%

School 74% · District 63% · ▲ 11 pts above district

▲ 23 pts above state median

Grade 663%

School 63% · District 62% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 58% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 854%

School 54% · District 57% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Science

Grade 459%

School 59% · District 44% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 21 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 44% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 52% · ▼ 9 pts below district

▲ 5 pts above state median

This schoolPerry 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-income39%Higher-income52%13 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income67%Higher-income84%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income68%Higher-income82%14 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income55%Higher-income70%15 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income48%Higher-income62%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income16%Higher-income43%27 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income73%Higher-income80%7 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income39%Higher-income50%11 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income41%Higher-income45%4 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income33%Higher-income48%15 pp gap