Southside Elementary School

As a reasonably sized primary school in Nortonville, Kentucky, Southside Elementary School caters to 549 students from grades pre-K through 5, one of the schools within Hopkins County. That puts it 30% above the typical public school in Kentucky, which averages around 421 students.

Across the 14 schools in Hopkins County (6,265 students total), Southside Elementary School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On the student-mix side, Southside Elementary School reports that 91% of students identify as White, making the school strongly White-majority; the rest reads as 4% multiracial, 2% Hispanic, 2% Black. That composition is broadly in line with Hopkins County as a whole.

On the income-and-resources front, Southside Elementary School lists 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 14.9:1. The state averages about 15.4:1, putting this campus right in line with peers. Around 67% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment. By comparison, Hopkins County runs at roughly 57%, so the school's eligibility rate is above the surrounding baseline.

After controlling for student poverty, Southside Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 40.0%; this one delivers 47.4%.

In the surrounding community, the surrounding county (Hopkins County) reports that median household income runs about $56,815, roughly 17% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 13%. Across Hopkins County's 22 public schools (combined enrollment of about 6,896 students), Southside Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is South Hopkins Middle School, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 3 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Southside Elementary School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, ahead of the local average of 40.4%.

The school occupies a countryside site.

Five-year trend. Over the past 7-year window, the student count expanded 19%: 462 students in 2018 compared to 549 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio narrowed from 17.4:1 in 2018 to 14.9:1 today.

On allk12, the feed for Southside Elementary School typically covers enrollment questions, classroom assignments, and PTA news. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.