Elementary Schools in Breathitt County

The Breathitt County school district in Kentucky is home to two elementary schools: Sebastian Elementary School and Highland-Turner Elementary School. Based on the available data, Highland-Turner Elementary School stands out as the higher-performing school, consistently ranking higher than Sebastian Elementary on statewide assessments and earning a 5-star rating from School Digger, compared to Sebastian's 1-star rating.

Highland-Turner Elementary School significantly outperforms Sebastian Elementary, as well as the Breathitt County and Kentucky averages, in most subject areas and grade levels, particularly in Mathematics and Reading. For example, in 3rd grade Mathematics, Highland-Turner had a 55% proficiency rate, compared to 34% for Sebastian Elementary, 38% for Breathitt County, and 43% for Kentucky. In 4th grade Reading, Highland-Turner had a 93% proficiency rate, while Sebastian Elementary had a 31% proficiency rate, and the Breathitt County and Kentucky averages were 45% and 50%, respectively.

Both schools have high percentages of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, with Highland-Turner at 84.49% and Sebastian Elementary at 75.85%. The spending per student for the two schools is similar, but Highland-Turner has a lower student-teacher ratio of 13.5, compared to 15.1 for Sebastian Elementary. These factors, along with the stark contrast in test scores and rankings, suggest that the performance gap between the two schools may be influenced by factors such as teaching quality, curriculum, and school leadership, in addition to socioeconomic considerations.