HOPKINSVILLE, KY (CHRISTIAN COUNTY NOW) – State accountability data for Christian County Public Schools has been released, which analyzes student testing results and provides scores for each school in the district. The 2024-25 data shows that South Christian Elementary School has the highest overall index in the entire district, categorized as “green” with an index of 71.5. Last year, Crofton Elementary held the top rank.

This reflects assessments during a school year that dealt with a variety of transitions, including the closing of Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School and sixth grade being absorbed back into the middle schools. Indian Hills Elementary saw an increase in their index this year, even after absorbing the majority of MLK Elementary students.

All but one of the other schools in the district are categorized as “yellow”, which indicates that test scores have been maintained from the previous year and are considered average by the state. Only one school fell a step lower, with Freedom Elementary ranking last in the district as “orange” with a 52.9 index.

Despite this ranking, Freedom also achieved the biggest gain of all the schools, having risen up from last year’s “red” status. With this continuous growth, they are well within the margin to obtain an increased classification next year. CCPS leadership also stressed that these scores reflect a singular data point at one moment in the school year and does not necessarily reflect day to day successes of students and staff.

Schools remain “all in” for students, assessment criteria

This information was made available to educators at the beginning of the current school year, reflecting last school year’s assessments. Analyzed testing occurred in the spring right after the county was hit by historic flooding. The Kentucky Summative Assessment system includes an exclusive list of six state indicators that measure school performance.

  • State assessment results in reading and mathematics
  • State assessment results in science, social studies, and writing.
  • English learner progress.
  • Quality of school climate and safety.
  • Postsecondary readiness (high school only).
  • Graduation Rate (high school only)

CCPS leadership agrees that all of the schools in the district are truly “all in” and work collectively to support and improve. Crider said that in the past, each school may have had a sense of competition when it came to assessments.

“We finally for the first time in a long time have a system in all of our schools that is equitable,” said Bentzel, explaining that across the board the schools are offering the same level of learning. “I have two daughters at Millbrooke, and those two could go to Crofton, Indian Hills, and Freedom and get the same educational outcome and opportunities they get at Millbrooke.”

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Middle and high school data, overall highlights

Assistant Superintendent Kevin Crider told media partners that he believes the middle schools are on the right track despite a combined reading/math index of only 49.6, an area they agree needs overall improvement in the district. Additional efforts are already being implemented this school year to improve math performance through high quality instructional materials and teacher retention.

Crider believes the high schools are in a healthy place going into consolidation, with both schools individually gaining “blue and green” status for the majority of their testing areas, which are the top index achievements. Both Christian County and Hopkinsville High School rank top “blue” status in their postsecondary testing, and “green” in science/social studies/writing. However, both schools showed indexes in the 50s for reading/math. They have a combined graduation rate of 94.8.

According to CCPS, other highlights from the data release are as follows.

  • Indian Hills Elementary showed a 15-point overall improvement in their index despite their realignment in their student population and moving buildings.
  • The largest increase in proficiency within elementary schools was in reading.
  • Both middle schools showed gains over previous years and both have a “yellow” rating

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