The top reported proficiency rate is 40% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Explorer Academy
Explorer Academy sits on Saltwell Road in Huntington, serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as a regular public school in the Cabell County Schools district. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school, with students spread fairly evenly across the early grades and a sizable pre-kindergarten cohort. The student body is predominantly white, with a meaningful share of students identifying as two or more races and a smaller Black population. A few Asian and Hispanic students round out the roster. Data on free or reduced-price lunch eligibility was not available, so the economic profile of the student body cannot be characterized here. Information on individualized education programs and English learner status was also missing.
On state assessments, Explorer Academy's results tell a mixed but informative story. In math, proficiency declines as students move up through the tested grades. Third graders performed at the higher end, with roughly four in ten scoring proficient or above. Fourth grade was similar, and fifth grade dipped further. The pattern suggests that students who start reasonably strong in early grades tend to lose ground in math by the time they are ready to leave for middle school. A parent may want to look into how the school supports math instruction in the upper elementary years.
English language arts results were more stable across grades. Third and fifth graders both reached proficiency at a rate above four in ten, with fourth grade sitting noticeably lower. Compared to math, ELA performance held steadier and was modestly stronger overall. Science was tested only in fifth grade, and the proficiency rate there was the lowest of the three subjects reported. This is a soft spot worth noting, though it is a single grade's result and may reflect the difficulty of the assessment or limited science instructional time in earlier grades.
Because Explorer Academy serves only through fifth grade, there is no graduation rate, no middle school assessment data, and no high school course or program information to report. The missing sixth through eighth grade results in the data simply reflect that the school does not teach those grades. Participation rates were full across every tested grade and subject.
Huntington itself is a mid-sized river city that has been shaped by its industrial past and its present role as a regional hub. Publicly reported sources describe a community founded as a planned railroad terminus, one that boomed around coal, chemicals, and steel before those industries contracted and the city lost a large share of its population from its mid-century peak. Today the local economy leans on Marshall University and its affiliated health network, Cabell Huntington Hospital, CSX Transportation, and the Port of Huntington Tri-State, which remains one of the busiest inland ports in the country. The downtown core, the university campus, and surrounding residential neighborhoods form a contiguous center, with schools like Explorer Academy sitting in the neighborhoods rather than downtown.
The housing market around the school is affordable by both state and national standards. Typical home values in the school's zip code run below the West Virginia state benchmark and well below the national figure. The price-to-income ratio is low, and estimated monthly mortgage costs are modest. Rent data was not available, but the broader affordability picture suggests that families looking to buy near the school face a relatively accessible market compared with most of the country. The city has been working on revitalization planning, including a housing needs assessment and an investment plan, reflecting an active policy focus on reversing population decline.
No neighbor comparison data was provided, and the district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as curriculum shifts, referendums, or staffing restructurings. Title I status, discipline data, staffing ratios, attendance figures, and program offerings were all absent from the available data. A family evaluating Explorer Academy has a clear picture of its state test results and its community setting, but would need to go directly to the school or district for information on student support services, specialized programs, and classroom resources.
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