Spencer County Middle School, Taylorsville KY

Original Research by School Decision on Spencer County Middle School

Spencer County Middle School is a regular public school in Taylorsville, Kentucky, serving sixth through eighth grades. Taylorsville is a small, rural county seat with a historic Main Street and is located near Taylorsville Lake. The community has experienced population growth and rising home values in recent years, a trend that suggests an expanding area. Housing costs in the school's ZIP code run close to the national median and notably higher than the Kentucky state median, which is a factor families weighing a move should keep in mind. The school belongs to Spencer County, the sole school district in the county, so the comparison set of neighboring districts is not available.

The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a moderate level of economic diversity. Because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to examine, and data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, and staffing were not reported here, so families may wish to inquire about those areas directly with the school.

Academically, the school shows a mixed picture on Kentucky's state assessments. In reading, the share of students meeting proficiency is moderate, with a notable bright spot in seventh grade, where a majority of test takers reached the proficient or above level. Sixth- and eighth-grade reading results are lower, with less than half of students scoring proficient. Math performance follows a similar pattern: seventh graders again show a stronger result, while sixth and eighth graders are below the halfway mark. Social studies, tested in eighth grade, lands in a similar moderate range. The clearest soft spot is in science, tested only in seventh grade, where the proportion of students scoring proficient is low compared to other subjects. A parent looking into this school may want to ask what supports exist in science instruction and whether there are targeted interventions for struggling readers and math students in the lower-performing grades.

The school operates as a regular public school with no magnet or charter designation, and Title I status was not reported in the available data. All evidence points to a typical middle-school experience within a growing, small-town setting. The academic results suggest that while some grade-level cohorts perform adequately, others fall short of the proficiency benchmark, especially in science. Families who value a close-knit rural community with a historic downtown and who are comfortable with the local housing market may find this school a reasonable fit, but they should seek further detail on the specific supports for students who are not yet meeting grade-level expectations.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 637%

School 37% · District 37%

▼ 5 pts below state median

Grade 748%

School 48% · District 47% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 5 pts above state median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 41% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 639%

School 39% · District 39%

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 751%

School 51% · District 50% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 2 pts above state median

Grade 842%

School 42% · District 41% · ▲ 1 pts above district

even with state median

Science

Grade 726%

School 26% · District 25% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▼ 4 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 844%

School 44% · District 43% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median

This schoolSpencer 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-income25%Higher-income52%27 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income62%25 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income34%Higher-income48%14 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income26%Higher-income46%20 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income37%Higher-income57%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income37%Higher-income46%9 pp gap