Belfry Middle School, Belfry KY - Test Scores & Data

Original Research by School Decision on Belfry Middle School

Belfry Middle School serves grades six through eight in the small, unincorporated community of Belfry, Kentucky, a place shaped by coal mining history and now a quiet, rural residential area with a post office and a branch of the Pike County Public Library. The school is part of the Pike County Public School System and sits alongside Belfry Elementary and Belfry High School within the same community fabric. Students progress through a single middle school before moving to the local high school.

The student body is small for a middle school and overwhelmingly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a lower-income population. The school is a regular public school, not a charter, and grade six through eight enrollment is modest across three grade levels. The overall academic picture, based on Kentucky Summative Assessment results from the most recent testing year, is mixed. When compared relative to districts in Pike County, Belfry Middle School's overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades lands in the bottom quartile of the two-district county. That comparison set is very small, so the label reflects standing among just two entities, but it still signals that on a combined measure, the school trails the other district in the county.

Looking at individual subjects and grades reveals a more nuanced story. In reading and language arts, seventh graders posted a solid proficiency rate, with a majority of students meeting the state’s proficient or above benchmark. Eighth grade ELA was somewhat lower but still above half. Sixth grade ELA came in at exactly half. In math, the picture is weaker. Sixth grade had a low proficiency rate, while seventh and eighth grades each reached the halfway mark. Science, tested only in seventh grade, was low, with fewer than a third of students proficient. Eighth grade social studies was in the middle, with somewhat above two-fifths proficient. The pattern suggests that reading skills are stronger than math and science at this school, and there is a noticeable dip in sixth grade math that a parent may want to ask the school about.

The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Disciplinary data, staffing ratios, attendance rates, course access information, and special education or English learner counts were not available in the provided data. A parent who needs those details would have to contact the school or district directly.

The community context is one of modest economic pressure and population decline. Belfry is a car-dependent rural place along a major highway, and the median home value is low relative to state and national benchmarks. The area has experienced a population decrease in recent years, and there is no mention of new housing development. For families, this means the housing market is affordable but constrained, and the local economy historically relied on coal mining, with schools and public services now likely the primary employers. The district itself did not have any recently reported major changes or strategic initiatives that surfaced in research.

For a family considering Belfry Middle School, the takeaway is that this is a small, rural school serving a predominantly white, low-income community, with academic results that are uneven. Reading proficiency is a relative strength, especially in seventh grade, while math and science need attention. The low overall proficiency ranking within Pike County is a data point worth exploring further with the school. The school’s size means students get a close-knit environment, but course access and enrichment programs were not detailed, so a parent should ask about what electives, advanced coursework, or support services are available. The affordable housing and quiet rural setting may appeal to those seeking a slower pace, though job opportunities beyond the school system and local services are limited.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 630%

School 30% · District 43% · ▼ 13 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 750%

School 50% · District 50%

▲ 7 pts above state median

Grade 850%

School 50% · District 47% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 4 pts above county median

English language arts

Grade 650%

School 50% · District 60% · ▼ 10 pts below district

▼ 4 pts below state median · ▼ 14 pts below county median

Grade 763%

School 63% · District 58% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median · ▲ 2 pts above county median

Grade 855%

School 55% · District 52% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 13 pts above state median · even with county median

Science

Grade 732%

School 32% · District 32%

▲ 2 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 47% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▼ 13 pts below county median

This schoolPike 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 6Lower-income47%Higher-income53%6 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income63%Higher-income63%0 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income49%Higher-income67%18 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income27%Higher-income36%9 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income48%Higher-income51%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income47%Higher-income56%9 pp gap