Pineville Independent School, Pineville KY

Original Research by School Decision on Pineville Independent School

Pineville Independent School is a regular public school serving preschool through twelfth grade in Pineville, the county seat of Bell County in southeastern Kentucky. It is the only school in the Pineville Independent district, a small system that covers the city. The school is located on Virginia Avenue, close to the downtown square and within walking distance of the historic Bell Theater and the Bell County Courthouse.

Pineville is an Appalachian town with a history rooted in coal mining, family-owned businesses, and tourism. In recent years, a downtown revitalization effort has brought significant public and private investment, including the renovation of the Bell Theater and the opening of new restaurants and shops. The downtown square has seen a sharp rise in occupancy. Southeast Kentucky Community and Technical College maintains a campus in the city, and Pine Mountain State Resort Park is nearby. The local economy now includes a sizable hospitality and service sector, alongside traditional employers like Pineville Community Hospital and the county government.

On state assessments, Pineville Independent School’s overall proficiency across tested grades and subjects ranks above the midpoint among the three districts in Bell County. This is a genuine strength for a school of this size and setting. Looking closer, results vary by subject and grade. In mathematics, proficiency rates in elementary and middle grades are uneven, with some grades showing lower attainment. Reading and language arts proficiency is generally stronger, particularly from fifth grade through eighth grade, where a clear majority of students meet the state’s proficiency benchmark. Science and social studies results are mixed, with one grade posting a strong outcome in social studies and others closer to the midpoint. State testing data for high school grades was not provided here, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about performance at the upper level.

The school enrolls a small student body. The student population is overwhelmingly white, with small shares of Black, Hispanic, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic context of the community. Data on students with disabilities, English learners, discipline, and staffing were not available in this profile, which means a family considering the school would need to seek that information from the district.

Housing in the Pineville area is relatively affordable. Home values are well below the state and national medians and have declined in the past year. The estimated monthly mortgage payment is low, making homeownership accessible for many families. The unemployment rate in Bell County has been close to the national average.

No recent district-level changes that directly affect parents—such as curriculum overhauls, boundary adjustments, or facility bond measures—were found in publicly available records. The district appears to have been stable in its operations.

For a family looking at this school, the central question is fit. Pineville Independent School offers a full PK–12 pathway in a single building in a small Appalachian town. Its academic profile shows a clear bright spot in middle-grades reading and a district-level standing that is solid within its county. The community has invested in its downtown and anchors like the library and park. A parent should pursue more detail on high school course offerings, graduation rates, and support services, as those pieces are not covered in the available data.

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Academic performance

State test results and graduation outcomes.

Graduation rate (ACGR)

>=90%Cohort of 44 students · Class of 2021

The federal source publishes a banded range instead of an exact rate when the graduating cohort is small enough that an exact number could risk identifying individual students.

How this school compares to all schools in this state

Each dot is one school’s SY 2020-21 graduation rate, binned by integer rate. Taller columns mean more schools at that rate. This school is highlighted.

314 schools plotted. 35 additional schools' rates are federally suppressed and not shown. Data: EDFacts SY 2020-21.

Math

Grade 330%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 30%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 52%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 641%

School 41% · District 41%

▼ 1 pts below state median

Grade 753%

School 53% · District 53%

▲ 10 pts above state median

Grade 843%

School 43% · District 43%

▲ 2 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 332%

School 32% · District 32%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 443%

School 43% · District 43%

▼ 7 pts below state median

Grade 562%

School 62% · District 62%

▲ 11 pts above state median

Grade 668%

School 68% · District 68%

▲ 14 pts above state median

Grade 767%

School 67% · District 67%

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 863%

School 63% · District 63%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Science

Grade 439%

School 39% · District 39%

▲ 1 pts above state median

Grade 742%

School 42% · District 42%

▲ 12 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 559%

School 59% · District 59%

▲ 21 pts above state median

Grade 838%

School 38% · District 38%

even with state median

This schoolPineville Independent, 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-income67%Higher-income70%3 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income50%Higher-income86%36 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income38%Higher-income50%12 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income27%Higher-income71%44 pp gap