Summary:
The city of Booneville, Kentucky is home to three schools - two elementary schools and one high school. While the schools serve predominantly low-income student populations, there is a stark contrast in their academic performance. Highland-Turner Elementary School stands out as a top-performing school, consistently ranking among the best in the state. In contrast, Owsley County Elementary and Owsley County High School have lower statewide rankings and test scores that generally trail the state averages.
Highland-Turner Elementary is the standout school, ranking 16th out of 685 Kentucky elementary schools in 2023-2024. The school has shown steady improvement, moving from 271st in 2021-2022 to 128th in 2022-2023. Significantly, 76% of 5th graders at Highland-Turner were proficient or better in mathematics, compared to just 39% for Owsley County and 41% statewide.
The high rates of free/reduced lunch, ranging from 73.3% at Owsley County Elementary to 97.86% at Owsley County High School, indicate that the schools serve predominantly low-income student populations. While spending per student is relatively high across all three schools, the stark contrast in performance suggests that factors beyond funding, such as effective teaching, leadership, and resource allocation, may be key drivers of academic success.
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