Best Public Schools in Smithland, KY

Smithland has two listed public schools: South Livingston Elementary School, serving prekindergarten through grade 6 and enrolling 367 students, and Livingston Central High School, serving grades 9–12 and enrolling 339. Their strengths differ: South Livingston has standout results in some elementary subjects, while Livingston Central combines a mixed test picture with a 100% graduation rate. The most important distinction is that each school has a different profile of academic strengths and needs.

South Livingston’s strongest 2025–2026 result was grade 3 math: 73% proficient, 30 points above the state; grade 5 editing and mechanics was also strong at 68%, 20 points above. Its lowest state-relative results were grade 5 math, 36% versus 43% statewide, and grade 4 science, 36% versus 40%. Livingston Central’s clearest test strength was grade 11 writing, at 59% versus 47% statewide; grade 11 science was weaker, at 19% versus 23%, and four of its six reported results were below the state. Because the schools test different grades, their raw percentages are not a fair head-to-head comparison.

Results moved closer to state averages at both schools: South Livingston’s average state-relative gap across matched results declined from 16 points in 2024–2025 to 7 in 2025–2026, while Livingston Central’s fell from 8 to 1. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile rankings also dropped in 2025–2026: South Livingston was at 64, down 18 points from the prior year, and Livingston Central was at 55, down 26. Other differences may matter to families: the 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible measure was 58% at South Livingston and 52% at Livingston Central; student–teacher ratios were 18.6 and 15.0. Chronic absenteeism in 2025–2026 was 11% at the elementary school and 20% at the high school, compared with 24% statewide. Livingston Central’s graduation rate was 100%, versus 94% statewide, and its dropout rate was 0%, versus 1%.