The top reported proficiency rate is 65% in English language arts. The lowest is 49% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Russell Springs Elementary School
Russell Springs Elementary School sits in the town that gave it its name, the largest community in Russell County and a gateway to Lake Cumberland. The town began as a resort centered on a mineral spring and now functions as a small residential and commercial hub with a tourism thread running through its economy. The school building is part of the Russell County district, which serves students across this mostly rural area of southern Kentucky.
The school enrolls students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade, a regular public elementary school in the typical grade band for the area. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic population also present. A significant share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, reflecting the economic makeup of the surrounding community.
State testing results from the most recent year give a mixed but generally encouraging picture for the school. In mathematics, proficiency rates rose noticeably as students moved up through the grades. Third graders recorded a rate below half, fourth graders landed above that mark, and fifth graders reached a level where roughly two of every three students scored proficient or better. Reading and language arts followed a similar upward trajectory, with third graders just under three in five, fourth graders improving modestly, and fifth graders achieving a clear majority at the proficient level. Science testing in fourth grade showed just under half of students meeting the proficient bar, and fifth grade social studies results landed solidly above half.
Compared to other districts in Russell County, the school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades placed in the top quartile. There are only two districts in the county, which is important context for that comparison. The data does not include information on chronic absenteeism or other attendance measures, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about attendance patterns.
The school provides no data on course access, staffing levels, or program offerings such as art, music, or gifted services. For an elementary school serving grades PK through 5, those are the kinds of details a family might want to explore by visiting or speaking with staff. Discipline and special education data were also absent from the available records, though the county-level source material did not surface any recent district changes or program expansions that would speak to those areas.
Housing in the area is more affordable than the state and national benchmarks, with home values having softened somewhat in the most recent year measured. The national unemployment rate at the time of this reporting was moderate, and mortgage rates were elevated relative to recent years, factors that may influence a family’s housing decision alongside the school choice.
Russell Springs Elementary sits in a town that is growing slowly, with a small population increase over the last decade. The built environment is auto-oriented, with U.S. and state highways passing through, and walkable street life is limited to the Main Street corridor near downtown. Civic anchors include Lake Cumberland as the major recreational draw, and the city’s municipal services are modest in scale.
For a family considering this school, the academic picture shows a school where older elementary grades tend to perform more strongly than the youngest on state assessments, and where overall results compare favorably within a small-county context. The absence of program and staffing details means some legwork may be needed to understand what enrichment or support looks like day to day. The school’s size and rural setting, combined with the town’s tourism-adjacent economy and affordable housing stock, give it a distinctly different character from a suburban or urban elementary school.
See more original research from School Decision →