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Paducah Independent

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At a glance

76^thof 158 Kentucky districts▲ 22

Better than 51% of Kentucky districts

Elementary 3 Middle 1 High 1 Alternative 1Grades PK, KG-12

500 South 25th Street
Paducah, KY 42003·(270) 444-5600·All Kentucky district rankings →

Statewide performance 2018–2026

2026: better than 51.9% of districts

Schools

3,103

Students

Top rankedClark Elementary School79^th of 684 Kentucky elementary schools

▲

Biggest riser

Paducah Tilghman High School up 53 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

McNabb Elementary School 11.9 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

2 schools without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

Compare Kentucky districts →See the top-ranked Kentucky schools →

Summary:

The six schools in Paducah Independent include three elementary schools, one middle school, one high school and one alternative school, serving students from elementary through high school in Paducah. Across the reported results, schools were about 1 percentage point above the state on average. The most important finding is that this near-state average hides a wide elementary-school divide: Clark Elementary School averaged 19 points above the state, while McNabb Elementary School averaged 13 points below.

Clark Elementary School was above the state in all ten reported comparisons; its grade 5 math result was 64%, compared with 19% at McNabb Elementary School, a 45-point school-to-school gap. McNabb was below the state in all ten comparisons. Morgan Elementary School had a more mixed profile, including above-state grade 4 math and science, but below-state grade 5 social studies. Paducah Middle School was near state levels in math and reading, though grade 8 writing was 11 points below. Paducah Tilghman High School was above the state in reading, science and social studies, and its graduation rate was 95% versus 94% statewide; chronic absenteeism, however, was 37% versus 24% statewide.

SchoolDigger ranked Clark in the 88th percentile statewide and awarded it four stars in 2025–2026; Morgan ranked in the 46th percentile, McNabb in the 18th, Paducah Middle in the 42nd and Paducah Tilghman in the 62nd. Tilghman, McNabb and Paducah Middle improved their SchoolDigger percentiles over recent years, while Morgan fell from the 68th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 46th in 2025–2026. For context, 2024–2025 free/reduced lunch eligible figures ranged from 47% at Clark to 91% at McNabb; Morgan was 85%. Student-teacher ratios ranged from 11.9 at McNabb to 16.1 at Clark. Choices Educational Center had 41% chronic absenteeism, but its test scores were suppressed, so achievement cannot be compared from these data.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				KSA Mathematics (2026)							KSA Reading (2026)							KSA Science (2026)			KSA Writing (2026)			KSA Social Studies (2026)			KSA Editing and Mechanics (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	KSA Mathematics 4th Grade	KSA Mathematics 5th Grade	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 3rd Grade	KSA Reading 4th Grade	KSA Reading 5th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 4th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 5th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 5th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 5th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Paducah Middle School	Public	6-8	342 Lone Oak Rd	Paducah	42001	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 444-5710	632	41	15.2	60.8%	270 (42.7%)	229 (36.2%)	51 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	79 (12.5%)	42.7	189^th of 326 public middle schools	42.0%		35.4	214^th of 320 public middle schools	33.1%	25				34.0	41.0	40.0					52.0	51.0	41.0			31.0			37.0			35.0			39.0		$17,114	$2,178	$14,937
Clark Elementary School	Public	K-5	3401 Buckner Lane	Paducah	42001	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 444-5730	615	38	16.1	46.5%	349 (56.7%)	125 (20.3%)	53 (8.6%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	84 (13.7%)	83	79^th of 684 public elementary schools	88.5%		79.6	108^th of 685 public elementary schools	84.2%	29	43.0	67.0	64.0					55.0	72.0	72.0					62.0			72.0			45.0			80.0			$15,880	$2,481	$13,399
McNabb Elementary School	Public	K-5	2100 Park Ave	Paducah	42001	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 444-5750	334	28	11.9	91.0%	69 (20.7%)	192 (57.5%)	15 (4.5%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	56 (16.8%)	22.3	559^th of 684 public elementary schools	18.3%		15.6	601^st of 685 public elementary schools	12.3%	42	26.0	28.0	19.0					40.0	43.0	33.0					34.0			33.0			18.0			37.0			$19,269	$3,304	$15,965
Morgan Elementary School	Public	K-5	2200 S 28th St	Paducah	42003	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 444-5760	369	30	12.3	85.1%	112 (30.4%)	161 (43.6%)	34 (9.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	62 (16.8%)	46.8	367^th of 684 public elementary schools	46.3%		44.8	383^rd of 685 public elementary schools	44.1%	16	50.0	56.0	41.0					48.0	49.0	37.0					47.0			35.0			22.0			43.0			$20,685	$3,889	$16,796
Paducah Tilghman High School	Public	9-12	2400 Washington St	Paducah	42003	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 444-5650	860	57	15.2	57.6%	339 (39.4%)	354 (41.2%)	64 (7.4%)	5 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.1%)	97 (11.3%)	56.4	99^th of 262 public high schools	62.2%		44.1	152^nd of 254 public high schools	40.2%	53							40.0							53.0			29.0			43.0			42.0			40.0	$19,778	$2,094	$17,684
Paducah Head Start Preschool	Public	PK	2200 Washington Street	Paducah	42003	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	No	No	(270) 444-5780	251	18	13.9	86.1%	59 (23.5%)	118 (47.0%)	25 (10.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (19.5%)								(n/a)
Choices Educational Center	Public, Virtual, Alternative	K-12	800 Caldwell St	Paducah	42003	McCracken County	Paducah Independent	No	No	Yes	No	(270) 444-5790	42	4	10.0	83.3%	6 (14.3%)	30 (71.4%)	1 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (11.9%)								(n/a)																											$6,295	$1,711	$4,584

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Kentucky Technical System	0.78 mi	50
McCracken County	1.41 mi	15	12^th
Marshall County	11.34 mi	12	61^st
Graves County	12.29 mi	10	9^th
Livingston County	13.64 mi	4	103^rd

See the top KY Kentucky districts

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.