North Washington Elementary School, Willisburg KY

Original Research by School Decision on North Washington Elementary School

North Washington Elementary School is a regular public school in Willisburg, Kentucky, serving students from pre-kindergarten through eighth grade. It sits within Washington County, a rural district in the central part of the state. Willisburg itself is a very small crossroads community, with a historic district of contributing buildings along its two converging state routes. The town has experienced very slow, essentially flat population growth over recent years, and its built environment is low-density residential and civic, with a modest commercial footprint along Main Street. Most major civic functions for the county are located in Springfield, the county seat, roughly a short drive southwest. The area’s housing market, based on available data, is affordable relative to national benchmarks, with home values near the state average.

The school enrolls a student body that is predominantly white, alongside small shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a significant degree of economic need within the school community. The school’s grade span means that a child can attend the same building from early childhood through the end of middle school. Because North Washington does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report.

State assessment data, from Kentucky’s summative testing, shows a clear pattern across subject areas. In mathematics, proficiency rates in the third, fourth, and fifth grades are in a moderate range. By sixth grade, that rate moves higher, and it continues to rise through seventh and eighth grades, where a majority of students meet proficiency. A similar trajectory appears in English language arts: early elementary grades show a moderate share of students reaching proficiency, while sixth through eighth grades post stronger results, with the highest rate in eighth grade. Science is tested in fourth and seventh grades; the proficiency rate in fourth grade is modest, and in seventh grade it is somewhat higher but still below a majority. Social studies, tested in fifth and eighth grades, shows a modest rate in fifth grade but a majority reaching proficiency by eighth grade.

What this pattern suggests is that by the time students reach the upper middle school grades, the school is producing outcomes that are solidly in the majority-proficient range in both math and English language arts, as well as in eighth-grade social studies. The earlier grades present more mixed results, particularly in science and in the lower elementary years. A parent with a child in the primary grades may wish to ask the school about its approach to early literacy and math instruction, and about how it supports students who are not yet meeting proficiency benchmarks. The data does not include information about chronic absenteeism, discipline, or staff qualifications, so those aspects of school environment are not part of this picture.

No information was available about specific program offerings such as gifted services, special education enrollment, or English learner supports. The district brief turned up little in the way of recent policy changes, curriculum updates, or referendum activity that would affect the school. The school is not a charter or magnet, and its Title I status was not reported.

For families considering this school, the key takeaway is that North Washington Elementary serves a wide age range within a single building in a small, rural community. Its older students demonstrate stronger test results than its younger ones, and the school manages a student body with a notable level of economic disadvantage. Anyone looking at the school would want to explore how the transition from elementary to middle school grades is managed, and what interventions are in place for students who need extra support in the early years. The lack of comparative data from other districts in the same county limits the ability to gauge performance relative to nearby schools, but the internal trends are clear enough to give a parent a starting point for conversation.

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Academic performance

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

Math

Grade 326%

School 26% · District 30% · ▼ 4 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 428%

School 28% · District 33% · ▼ 5 pts below district

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 530%

School 30% · District 36% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 651%

School 51% · District 52% · ▼ 1 pts below district

▲ 9 pts above state median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 54% · ▲ 7 pts above district

▲ 18 pts above state median

Grade 867%

School 67% · District 43% · ▲ 24 pts above district

▲ 26 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 336%

School 36% · District 44% · ▼ 8 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 435%

School 35% · District 33% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 536%

School 36% · District 42% · ▼ 6 pts below district

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 652%

School 52% · District 54% · ▼ 2 pts below district

▼ 2 pts below state median

Grade 761%

School 61% · District 51% · ▲ 10 pts above district

▲ 12 pts above state median

Grade 864%

School 64% · District 46% · ▲ 18 pts above district

▲ 22 pts above state median

Science

Grade 430%

School 30% · District 28% · ▲ 2 pts above district

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 737%

School 37% · District 36% · ▲ 1 pts above district

▲ 7 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 527%

School 27% · District 30% · ▼ 3 pts below district

▼ 11 pts below state median

Grade 852%

School 52% · District 37% · ▲ 15 pts above district

▲ 14 pts above state median

This schoolWashington 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 4Lower-income23%Higher-income52%29 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income29%Higher-income50%21 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income39%Higher-income70%31 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income64%Higher-income64%0 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 6Lower-income36%Higher-income70%34 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income64%Higher-income71%7 pp gap