The top reported proficiency rate is 36% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Williamstown Jr. High
Williamstown Jr. High serves sixth through eighth grade in Williamstown, the seat of Grant County. The school is part of the Williamstown Independent district, a small system that covers the town. The community itself is a rural county seat with a Main Street commercial core, heavily shaped by the Ark Encounter theme park, a major employer and tourist draw that opened in recent years. The town has seen modest growth tied to that development, and Interstate 75 runs through its west side, giving residents a direct route north to Cincinnati or south into central Kentucky.
The student body is small for a middle school serving three grades. The vast majority of students are white, with a modest share identifying as Hispanic and very small numbers of Asian, Black, or multiracial students. Data on the share of students with disabilities or those classified as English learners was not available in this profile. More than half of the students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that a substantial portion of families face economic pressure. Housing values in the Williamstown zip code are moderately above the state benchmark, though with rising mortgage rates the monthly cost of a typical home is a meaningful consideration for a family moving into the area.
On the Kentucky Summative Assessment for the most recent testing year, reading and language arts results show a consistent downward pattern across grades. The sixth-grade cohort posted a somewhat stronger performance, with a notable share of students meeting the state's proficiency bar. Seventh and eighth graders, however, scored lower, with a clear majority not reaching that level. Math results follow a steeper decline. Sixth graders performed at a moderate level, but the seventh- and eighth-grade cohorts show much lower rates, with a small share of students scoring proficient or above. In science, only seventh graders are tested, and the proficiency rate there was low. In social studies, tested in eighth grade, the share of students meeting the proficiency mark was similar to the ELA results for that grade. Across all tested subjects and grades, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quartile relative to districts in Grant County, though the comparison set is small, with only two districts, so the gap between the top and bottom is narrow.
Because this school covers only middle grades, there is no graduation rate to report, and no data on chronic absenteeism was available. The district brief did not surface any recent operational changes, facility projects, or program additions that would affect a family's decision, so that area is a blank rather than a notable omission. A parent looking at Williamstown Jr. High will want to look into how the school supports students who are not yet at grade level in math and reading, particularly as students move through the middle grades and the proficiency numbers drop. The small size of both the school and the district may mean tighter relationships between families and staff, but it also means fewer course electives and specialized programs than a larger middle school might offer. The community context is a small town with a growing tourism economy, and the school's demographics reflect a predominantly white, lower-middle-income population with a meaningful share of families qualifying for meal assistance.
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