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Norton Elementary

Public Grades K-5
6th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 685 Kentucky Elementary Schools
Better than 99% of Kentucky elementary schools
Summary

Norton Elementary is a public elementary school in Louisville, Kentucky, serving 728 students in grades K-5. Despite being part of the lower-performing Jefferson County school district, Norton Elementary has consistently ranked among the top 10 elementary schools in Kentucky, maintaining a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Norton Elementary's exceptional academic performance sets it apart, with students significantly outperforming their peers in the district and state across various subject areas and grade levels. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, 67% of 3rd graders, 75% of 4th graders, and 77% of 5th graders at Norton Elementary were proficient or better in Mathematics, compared to just 30% and 43% for Jefferson County and Kentucky, respectively. The school also excels in serving diverse student populations, ranking highly among Kentucky elementary schools for its performance with students from different backgrounds.

While Norton Elementary's success is remarkable, the nearby Chancey Elementary, Lowe Elementary, and Zachary Taylor Elementary schools demonstrate significantly lower academic performance and higher chronic absenteeism rates, highlighting the stark contrast in educational outcomes within the same district. Norton Elementary's success can be attributed to its focus on equity, strong resource allocation, and effective instructional practices, serving as a model for how high-quality education can be achieved, even in challenging circumstances.

716
Students ?
16.0
Student/teacher ratio ?
$19,605
Per pupil spending ?
23.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 8101 Brownsboro Road
       Louisville, KY  40241

(502) 485-8308

District: Jefferson County


Students who attend Norton Elementary usually attend:

Middle:    Kammerer Middle
High:    Ballard High
Racial breakdown:

White:
61.3%
Asian:
13.0%
African American:
12.4%
more
 See top rated Kentucky elementary schools

 Compare Norton Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Holding steady — 99th percentile in 2015 → 99th in 2025
Strengths
Test scores above the Kentucky average (74% vs 44% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 1% of Kentucky elementary schools
Among the top-ranked schools in Jefferson County
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?
This school74%
District avg31%
Kentucky avg44%
6th of 685
Kentucky public elementary schools ?
Top 1%▲ up 1 pts since 2015
See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 86Elementary Schools in the Jefferson County
140th of 157Jefferson County among Kentucky districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202596.36 of 68599.1%★★★★★
202495.95 of 68599.3%★★★★★
202396.28 of 68798.8%★★★★★
202297.16 of 68499.1%★★★★★
202191.618 of 51796.5%★★★★★
201996.34 of 70099.4%★★★★★
201894.911 of 69198.4%★★★★★
201795.09 of 69498.7%★★★★★
201695.87 of 69099.0%★★★★★
201594.810 of 69898.6%★★★★★
201488.830 of 70595.7%★★★★★
201388.637 of 71994.9%★★★★★
201291.524 of 71396.6%★★★★★
201185.160 of 68891.3%★★★★★
201080.489 of 68387.0%★★★★☆
200980.496 of 65885.4%★★★★☆
200887.642 of 65193.5%★★★★★
200790.235 of 63894.5%★★★★★

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202589.07 of 14295.1%★★★★★
202495.71 of 14099.3%★★★★★
202393.53 of 12997.7%★★★★★
202293.22 of 11898.3%★★★★★
201997.42 of 18598.9%★★★★★
201872.635 of 18481.0%★★★★☆

Asian

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202479.54 of 2584.0%★★★★☆
202394.01 of 2395.7%★★★★★
202271.57 of 1963.2%★★★☆☆
201983.53 of 2387.0%★★★★★
201882.03 of 2286.4%★★★★★

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202257.966 of 20668.0%★★★☆☆
201847.0199 of 44555.3%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202498.31 of 6498.4%★★★★★
202289.13 of 4092.5%★★★★★

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202593.412 of 64898.1%★★★★★
202492.018 of 64497.2%★★★★★
202395.77 of 63998.9%★★★★★
202296.64 of 64199.4%★★★★★
202188.711 of 31296.5%★★★★★
201995.23 of 67199.6%★★★★★
201893.510 of 66398.5%★★★★★

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202581.216 of 16890.5%★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202588.735 of 67294.8%★★★★★
202487.236 of 66594.6%★★★★★
202382.350 of 67092.5%★★★★★
202289.020 of 66797.0%★★★★★
202188.614 of 27594.9%★★★★★
201984.937 of 66494.4%★★★★★
201878.671 of 63188.7%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202596.24 of 65399.4%★★★★★
202496.76 of 65299.1%★★★★★
202395.29 of 65298.6%★★★★★
202293.912 of 65798.2%★★★★★
202184.923 of 32592.9%★★★★★
201995.16 of 67699.1%★★★★★
201893.711 of 66598.3%★★★★★

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202562.680 of 30673.9%★★★★☆
202457.491 of 27967.4%★★★☆☆
202370.449 of 25780.9%★★★★☆
201995.14 of 66199.4%★★★★★

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankKentucky percentileRating
202596.44 of 65999.4%★★★★★
202496.15 of 65999.2%★★★★★
202396.42 of 65899.7%★★★★★
202298.03 of 65699.5%★★★★★
202189.717 of 33795.0%★★★★★
201995.18 of 59298.6%★★★★★
201895.38 of 59398.7%★★★★★
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
White (2025)99th percentile~ school
Male (2025)99th percentile~ school
English Language Learner (2024)98th percentile~ school
Female (2025)98th percentile~ school
African American (2025)95th percentile-4 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2025)95th percentile-4 vs school
Hispanic (2025)90th percentile-9 vs school
Asian (2024)84th percentile-15 vs school
Special Education (2025)74th percentile-25 vs school
Disabled (2022)68th percentile-31 vs school
By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?
Editing and Mechanics81%+34 vs state
Reading77%+28 vs state
Writing76%+38 vs state
Mathematics73%+30 vs state
Social Studies70%+32 vs state
Science66%+29 vs state

4.3
12 ratings · 10 written reviews
510
40
30
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12
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What people are saying
by a parent
Thursday, June 25, 2020

Open Quote We love it here. It's funny that it wasn't our first choice of school. We thought we wanted another school based on what neighbors said. I don't think people realize what they are missing. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, March 5, 2020

Open Quote First, the building is completely unsafe and they give any adult access to children without knowing them. Second, the counselor is worthless at his job...he ignores abuse in homes and offers no support to kids that need it. Third, the leadership does not know how to deal with difficult situations that arise from divorced families and discriminates against Dads. This school does not support dad involvement. If you are not the typical Norton family they don’t want you there. Some of the teachers are amazing but the leadership is awful. Test scores don’t mean everything. Find a school that is concerned with your child’s emotional health as well. Close Quote


by a parent
Tuesday, February 21, 2017

Open Quote Love this school and my kids to as well. They have a preschool program and are thinking about adding a middle school program as well. Hope it happens! Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, September 30, 2016

Open Quote This is an outstanding public school with the KPREP scores to prove it. I have two kids here and cannot tell you how pleased I am with (1) the academic rigor (2) the experienced and friendly teachers, administration and staff (3) the parents, who are involved and down to earth (4) the diversity of the students. You do not have to move out of the county or stretch your finances on a private school to give your kids an excellent education. Norton is a jewel. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, September 29, 2016

Open Quote This school is fantastic. When faced with the decision of Catholic School vs Public school, we did A LOT of research. JCPS as a whole gets a bad reputation, but the reality is, there are some fantastic schools within the district and Norton is one of them. I strongly urge anyone making a decision on where to send their elementary age child(ren) to do their research! Make your decision based on facts. Make an educated decision, not one based on hearsay. Every teacher, assistant, lunch room aide, custodian, office worker and principal within Norton Elementary cares about your child. Close Quote


by a parent
Thursday, September 8, 2016

Open Quote I cannot say enough great things about this school. the principal is incredible, the teachers and office staff really care about every child you can tell the second you walk into the school. our daughter learned and developed so much confidence from this school it really is amazing! Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, August 5, 2016

Open Quote My daughter attended Norton from 2nd-5th grade. The principal Mr Stites is so friendly and relatable to the kids. I have personally seen him call children out by name as classes walk down the hall- he knows all of them. He sends home these very candid newsletters and isn't afraid to have a real, relatable personality instead of the stuffy all business types that head up many of our schools. We had a few struggles in communication with the counselor, who is not the most responsive fellow, but the front office staff is fantastic, the PTA is fantastic, the principal is fantastic, and my daughter had 2 phenomenal teachers in 3rd and 5th grade that she will carry with her in a lifetime of positive memories. (That's Klapheke and Peterson if you're fortunate enough for your child to be in their classrooms). There are a lot of teachers at Norton who make learning so much fun. Every child in that school can tell you a funny story about Ms. Dianne, the music teacher. In addition to the personalities at Norton, my daughter excelled academically and the school ranks just about as high as you can in academic success. When we moved there, we were fortunate to find a group of girls and moms that welcomed us into a girl scout troop, and took us under their wing to show us the ropes. All of those moms were also members of the Norton PTA, which is outstanding as far as involvement and working hard to provide a fantastic experience for our kids. Not to mention the fundraising they've done to improve technology in the classrooms as well. All in all, we've just enrolled my son who starts kindergarten there next week-- after being away for 2 years, we are glad to be a part of the Norton Family once again. Close Quote


by a parent
Wednesday, April 27, 2016

Open Quote Exceptional school with exceptional teachers and ancillary staff! Close Quote


by a parent
Friday, September 5, 2014

Open Quote Our child attended Norton Elementary School for 2 years; 3rd and 4th grade, 2012 and 2013. Although our child’s 3rd grade experience wasn't so bad, our child’s 4th grade experience was horrible for all of us. Not only did we find the teachers not well trained in working with a student with special needs which is why the school district placed our child in this school, they out right tried every way to make our child feel embarrassed in front of the class making by exposing our child’s disability. This damaged our child’s self-esteem thus making the entire year a struggle. We even went the extra mile and hired a personal tutor and when our tutor reached out to our child’s teacher, the teacher wasn't even willing to work with our tutor. When working with the school counselor, we found out that not until the end of our child’s 4th grade class was the School District Psychologist even made aware of our child’s special needs outlined in the IEP. Also, in these 2 years, we've never even met the school principal. We would see him at school events or in the hallways but for someone who is there to take care and ensure our kids get the right education, he made "NO" attempt to even make himself personable by introducing himself. He always made it a point to look the other direction. I guess when you look at the statistics and see that Louisville Elementary Schools rank 226 out of 321 and this school has 5-stars here on School Digger, is it really a 5-Star school when it’s at the bottom at 226? In short, we're glad to be out of this school. In our new school here in XXX, we've met the school principal and the counselor on our first visit to the school and we have an appointment scheduled with the District School Psychologist who reached out to us first to discuss our child’s IEP. Close Quote


by a parent
Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Open Quote We have been extremely pleased with Norton Elementary School. The principal, Mr. Stites, empowers his teachers and then let's them teach. Students are expected to perform at a high level. Period. The teachers challenge all kids to learn at a level at or above grade level. I was thrilled to learn my younger child will attend Norton also. Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about Norton Elementary

In the 2024-25 school year, 716 students attended Norton Elementary.

Students at Norton Elementary are 61% White, 13% Asian, 12% African American, 7% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

Yes! Norton Elementary is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 6th of 685 Kentucky elementary schools.

Students who attend Norton Elementary usually go on to attend:

Middle : Kammerer Middle
High : Ballard High


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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