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What's one thing Southern Elementary School gets right about preparing students for what comes next?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
611
Elementary
DISTRICT 411 · STATE 421
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·PULASKI COUNTY·NCES 210495001464
Southern Elementary School
198 Enterprise Dr, Somerset, KY 42501 · (606) 678-5229 · Pulaski County
GRADES KG–05ELEMENTARY33-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL611 STUDENTS
A-
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 75% of Kentucky public elementary schools
- B+Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- A-Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- ·Three-year trend Not available for this school, so the grade uses the other parts.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Kentucky public elementary schools
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
46 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 38.3:1 · STATE 15.4:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
71%
434 students
DISTRICT 66% · STATE 63%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Kindergarten | 89 | 15% |
| Grade 1 | 106 | 17% |
| Grade 2 | 107 | 18% |
| Grade 3 | 104 | 17% |
| Grade 4 | 118 | 19% |
| Grade 5 | 87 | 14% |
This year's kindergarten class (89) is about the same size as its 5th grade class (87).
Student demographics
32%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 24% · STATE 47% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
KSA (K-PREP) 2024-25 . % Proficient/DistinguishedEnglish Language Arts
56.7%
KY avg 47.9%
Math
52.3%
KY avg 42.8%
What this means: On the KSA (K-PREP), Kentucky's statewide test, about 57 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 52 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Kentucky schools, those numbers are about 48 and 43.
Source: KSA (K-PREP). All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
52.3%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
38.7%
based on KY schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+13.7pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 52% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% typical for Kentucky schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Kentucky's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Southern Elementary School
Southern Elementary School's state test result (52.3% proficient) is higher than 2 of the 3 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southern Elementary School this school | 611 | 71.0% | 52.3% |
| Reidland Elementary School Paducah | 548 | 71.0% | 68.5% |
| Stanford Elementary School Stanford | 572 | 75.0% | 36.0% |
| Adair County Primary Center Columbia | 604 | 70.5% | N/A |
| Shepherdsville Elementary Shepherdsville | 538 | 68.2% | 28.7% |
| Charles Straub Elementary School Maysville | 653 | 71.5% | N/A |
Matched among Kentucky elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Southern Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Kentucky | In Pulaski County |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 52.3% | #195 of 669 | #8 of 10 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 52.3% | #207 of 668 | #8 of 10 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 56.7% | #215 of 674 | #8 of 10 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 611 | #98 of 744 | #2 of 10 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.2:1 | #125 of 674 | #2 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 32.2% | #323 of 674 | #1 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 71.0% | #260 of 721 | #3 of 10 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.5% | #278 of 437 | #6 of 6 |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
611
-45 (-7%) vs 2020
-35% since 1990-91, when it was 936
Student : Teacher
13.2:1
was 14.0:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 611 | 46.2 | 13.2:1 | 71% (434) |
| 2023-24 | 646 | 48.5 | 13.3:1 | 77% (495) |
| 2022-23 | 655 | 47.7 | 13.7:1 | 74% (486) |
| 2020-21 | 656 | 47 | 14.0:1 | 74% (483) |
| 2017-18 | 668 | 44.9 | 14.9:1 | 79% (526) |
| 2015-16 | 689 | 43 | 16.0:1 | 75% (519) |
| 2010-11 | 704 | 41 | 17.2:1 | 77% (541) |
| 2000-01 | 595 | 43 | 13.8:1 | 85% (508) |
| 1990-91 | 936 | 53 | 17.7:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Southern Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students down 9% (668 to 611); teachers up 3% (44.9 to 46.2).
About Southern Elementary School
Southern Elementary School is classified as an elementary school. It is located in Somerset, Kentucky. The school had 611 students in kindergarten through 5 in 2024-25. An average school in this group (elementary schools in Kentucky) has about 421 students.
Within Pulaski County, Southern Elementary School is one of 14 schools. The district enrolls 7,729 students.
Most students at Southern Elementary School are White: 82% of enrollment. Smaller groups are 9% Hispanic, 5% multiracial, and 4% Asian. For comparison, the population of Pulaski County is roughly 94% White. The chance that two students picked at random at Southern Elementary School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 32%.
The school reported 46.2 full-time-equivalent teachers in 2024-25 and a ratio of 13.2:1. For comparison, elementary schools in Kentucky average 15.4:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is 71%.
Measured against Kentucky public elementary schools, Southern Elementary School receives an A-. The grade weighs proficiency most heavily, then how results compare with what the school's low-income share predicts, then the three-year change.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Southern Elementary School is +13.7 points: 52.3% actual, 38.7% predicted.
Across Pulaski County, median household income is about $51,898, roughly 18% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and the share of residents below the poverty line is 16%. The public schools of Pulaski County number 19 and enroll about 9,989.
Southern Middle School is the closest public school, about 0.2 miles away in a straight line. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Of the 7 nearby schools with scores, including this one, Southern Elementary School is 5th on average proficiency.
By NCES locale, the school is Town: Remote, or in a town far from an urbanized area.
Southern Elementary School had 656 students in 2020-21 and 611 in 2024-25, a 7% decrease.
Posts about school safety, transportation, and start times are welcome on this page. Questions from prospective families are welcome too.
Pulaski County at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
65,897
Census ACS
Median income
$51,898
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
18%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
16%
Below federal line
Schools in county
19
9,989 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Pulaski County
- Southwestern High SchoolHigh · 1,213 students
- Pulaski County High SchoolHigh · 1,113 students
- Southern Middle SchoolMiddle · 871 students
- Northern Middle SchoolMiddle · 797 students
- Oak Hill Elementary SchoolElementary · 551 students
- Pulaski Elementary SchoolElementary · 535 students
Other schools in Somerset
- Southwestern High SchoolHigh · 1,213 students
- Pulaski County High SchoolHigh · 1,113 students
- Southern Middle SchoolMiddle · 871 students
- Northern Middle SchoolMiddle · 797 students
- Hopkins Elementary SchoolElementary · 750 students
- Oak Hill Elementary SchoolElementary · 551 students
Other Southern Elementary schools
9 other US public schools in 6 states are named Southern Elementary. Southern Elementary School is the 2nd largest of the 10.
- Southern Elementary SchoolFalmouth, KY · 542 students
- Southern Elementary SchoolLexington, KY · 476 students
- Southern Elementary SchoolGeorgetown, KY · 462 students
- Southern Elementary SchoolBeaver Dam, KY · 269 students
- Southern Elementary SchoolNew Castle, DE · 729 students
Nearby schools
- Southern Middle School0.2 mi · 871
- Southwestern High School2.5 mi · 1,213
- Oak Hill Elementary School2.7 mi · 551
- Burnside Elementary School3.2 mi · 414
- Eagle Academy3.4 mi · 38
- Memorial Education Center3.4 mi · 231
Frequently asked questions
About Southern Elementary SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Southern Elementary School?
Southern Elementary School enrolls approximately 611 students in grades KG-05.
Is Southern Elementary School an elementary, middle, or high school?
Southern Elementary School is an elementary school covering grades KG-05.
How many teachers does Southern Elementary School have?
Southern Elementary School employs 46 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 13.2:1.
How diverse is Southern Elementary School?
Southern Elementary School reports a student body of 82% White, 9% Hispanic, 2% Black, 4% Asian, 5% Two or more.
Is Southern Elementary School public or private?
Southern Elementary School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Pulaski County.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.