Jody Richards Elementary, Bowling Green KY

Original Research by School Decision on Jody Richards Elementary

Jody Richards Elementary is a regular public school in Bowling Green, Kentucky, serving students from preschool through sixth grade. It is part of the Warren County school district. The school sits in a residential area of a fast-growing city that is a major manufacturing hub and home to Western Kentucky University, a combination that gives the community a distinct character: part college town, part industrial corridor, part suburban family neighborhoods.

The school has a sizable enrollment for an elementary building. Among its roughly 776 students, the student body is notably diverse in racial and ethnic terms. While just over half of students are white, a substantial share identify as Asian, with smaller shares who identify as Hispanic, Black, multiracial, or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. That Asian student population, comprising roughly a quarter of the school, stands out as higher than typical for the region. About half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of moderate economic diversity.

On state assessment results, subject-level proficiency rates vary, but the pattern is worth describing. In both math and English language arts, proficiency hovers around the midpoint for most tested grades. In third grade math, for instance, just under half of students scored proficient or above, while fourth grade math was slightly above the typical midpoint. Fifth grade math dropped noticeably lower, with a minority of students at proficiency, before sixth grade math climbed back above the midpoint. In reading, the same general shape holds: fourth grade performance was strongest, while third grade was softest. For science, tested only in fourth grade, a little fewer than half of students met the proficiency bar. The fifth grade social studies assessment saw a smaller share reach proficiency, the lowest figure across any subject and grade.

Taken together, the school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades lands in the top quartile among the county’s elementary schools, according to the available county-district comparison. That is a relative strength within Warren County, even though the raw performance in some grades and subjects is modest in absolute terms.

A parent may want to ask about the dip in fifth grade math and reading. State testing data is available only at the schoolwide level, so a family interested in how specific student subgroups perform would need to request that detail directly from the school or district.

Because the school stops at sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to report, and no chronic absenteeism data was available in our review. The school’s website was not part of our data, so any specific extracurricular offerings, special academic programs, or after-school care options are not accounted for here. The school is not a charter or magnet.

Bowling Green itself is growing. It has sustained population increase over recent decades, driven by its position along Interstate 65 between Nashville and Louisville, major employers including General Motors, Fruit of the Loom, and Western Kentucky University, and continued annexation. In late 2021, the city was struck by tornadoes that caused significant damage and loss of life, and rebuilding has been part of the local development context since then. Housing in the school’s zip code is priced above the state average but below the national average, and rent has held relatively steady. For a family weighing a move, the housing market is active and the city’s economic base is well diversified.

For a parent evaluating whether this school fits, the picture is a mixed but not discouraging one. Jody Richards Elementary offers a diverse student body in terms of race and economic background, a moderate level of academic performance that ranks well within the county, and a community context of steady growth and industrial stability. The school is not a standout on raw test scores, but it is not a low performer either. A family that values racial and economic diversity and wants a solid, middle-of-the-road academic foundation for the elementary years would find this a reasonable option. Someone seeking the highest possible proficiency rates in every grade might look elsewhere or inquire more deeply about the fifth-grade slide.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 347%

School 47% · District 44% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▲ 4 pts above state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

Grade 454%

School 54% · District 46% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 9 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 539%

School 39% · District 39%

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

Grade 655%

School 55% · District 53% · ▲ 2 pts above district

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

English language arts

Grade 346%

School 46% · District 49% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 2 pts below county median

Grade 456%

School 56% · District 48% · ▲ 8 pts above district

▲ 6 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 552%

School 52% · District 47% · ▲ 5 pts above district

▲ 1 pts above state median · ▲ 6 pts above county median

Grade 653%

School 53% · District 59% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▼ 5 pts below county median

Science

Grade 445%

School 45% · District 40% · ▲ 5 pts above district

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

Social studies

Grade 537%

School 37% · District 34% · ▲ 3 pts above district

▼ 1 pts below state median · ▲ 1 pts above county median

This schoolWarren 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 3Lower-income39%Higher-income53%14 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income49%Higher-income66%17 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income43%Higher-income62%19 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income66%27 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 3Lower-income35%Higher-income59%24 pp gap

Grade 4Lower-income47%Higher-income63%16 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income26%Higher-income55%29 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income31%Higher-income76%45 pp gap