Burnside Elementary School, Burnside KY

Original Research by School Decision on Burnside Elementary School

Burnside Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Pulaski County district. It sits in Burnside, a small home-rule city perched on Lake Cumberland in south-central Kentucky. The original town was submerged in the early 1950s when Wolf Creek Dam created the lake; residents relocated uphill to what is now New Burnside. Today the community blends residential neighborhoods with a tourism-oriented commercial strip along US 27, with marinas, restaurants, and lodging serving lake visitors. Burnside made news years ago as the only place in Pulaski County or adjoining counties to allow alcohol sales, and it later annexed shoreline to include Lee’s Ford Marina, reinforcing its role as a lake-tourism hub. The town lacks a traditional downtown; civic and commercial life spreads along the highway corridor. General Burnside Island State Park and Cole Park provide recreational anchors, and a historical marker commemorates Burnside’s claim as the birthplace of the Boy Scouts of America.

The school enrolls a moderate number of students for an elementary. The student body is predominantly white, with small shares of Hispanic students and students identifying with two or more races. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that economic need is common across the school community. Counts of students with individualized education programs and English learners were not reported in the available data.

State testing results for the most recent school year show that in reading and math, a majority of students in grades three through five scored at the proficient or advanced level. Performance in math was fairly consistent across grades; reading proficiency increased noticeably by fifth grade. In science, which is tested in fourth grade, a majority also met the proficiency bar. Social studies, tested in fifth grade, showed a strong outcome as well. When the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades is compared to other school districts in Pulaski County, it lands among the strongest performers. Because Burnside Elementary only serves through fifth grade, no high school graduation rate is reported, and measures such as chronic absenteeism were not available in the data set.

Housing in the area is considerably more affordable than the state and national averages, though the local market has seen a decline in typical home values in the most recent year. National economic indicators at the time of reporting show mortgage rates around the mid-six percent range and unemployment just above four percent. The district itself had no parent-relevant changes reported from sources reviewed, so there is little to note about recent policy or facility shifts at the county level.

For a family considering this school, the academic picture is favorable: test results are solid and stand out relative to other local districts. The student body reflects the surrounding community’s demographics and economic circumstances. The school setting is a small lake-oriented town that relies on automobiles for most errands; there is no walkable downtown, and the highway corridor defines daily life. The recreation and tourism draw of Lake Cumberland is a distinctive feature of the area. Families who value a tight-knit elementary experience in a rural lake community, and who are comfortable with a modest level of economic diversity among families, will find Burnside Elementary a straightforward fit. Those looking for detailed data on special education services or English learner support may need to follow up directly with the school, as those counts were not published here.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 363%

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

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

Grade 463%

School 63% · District 59% · ▲ 4 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 565%

School 65% · District 63% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 356%

School 56% · District 61% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▼ 7 pts below county median

Grade 465%

School 65% · District 63% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▲ 15 pts above state median · ▲ 3 pts above county median

Grade 576%

School 76% · District 67% · ▲ 9 pts above district

▲ 25 pts above state median · ▲ 11 pts above county median

Science

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 50% · ▲ 6 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 573%

School 73% · District 59% · ▲ 14 pts above district

▲ 35 pts above state median · ▲ 17 pts above county median

This schoolPulaski 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

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income63%Higher-income67%4 pp gap