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Ballard County Middle School

Q: Is Ballard County Middle School a good school?

Ballard County Middle School ranks 35 th of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

35^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 320 Kentucky Middle Schools

Better than 89% of Kentucky middle schools

Summary

Ballard County Middle School, a public middle school serving grades 6-8 in Barlow, Kentucky, stands out as a high-performing institution with a total enrollment of 221 students. As part of the Ballard County School District, which is ranked 22 out of 157 districts in Kentucky and has a 4-star rating, Ballard County Middle School consistently outperforms the state average in academic proficiency across various subjects and grade levels.

The school's academic excellence is particularly evident in its Reading performance, with 69% of 6th graders, 61% of 7th graders, and 63% of 8th graders scoring proficient or better in the 2024-2025 school year, significantly higher than the state averages. Ballard County Middle School also excels in subjects like Mathematics, Writing, and Social Studies, with 53%, 65%, and 57% of 8th graders, respectively, scoring proficient or better in the same year. The school's strong performance extends to various student subgroups, including female students, who rank 21st out of 298 Kentucky middle schools, and White students, who rank 42nd out of 314 Kentucky middle schools.

Interestingly, Ballard County Middle School outperforms the nearby Paducah Middle School and Lone Oak Middle School in academic proficiency, despite having a higher percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 57.47% to 60.73% in recent years. This suggests that the school is effectively supporting its more economically disadvantaged population, contributing to its overall academic excellence and making it a standout institution in the region.

202

Students ?

14.7

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,543

Per pupil spending ?

50.5%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3561 Paducah Rd
Barlow, KY 42024

(270) 665-8400

District: Ballard County

Students who attend Ballard County Middle School usually attend:

High:

Ballard Memorial High School

Feeder schools for Ballard County Middle School:

Elementary:

Ballard County Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.6%

Two or more races:

6.4%

African American:

2.5%

See top rated Kentucky middle schools

Compare Ballard County Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 67th percentile in 2015 → 89th in 2025

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Kentucky average (60% vs 45% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 11% of Kentucky middle schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 22 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school60%

District avg60%

Kentucky avg45%

35^th of 320

Kentucky public middle schools ?

Top 11%▲ up 22 pts since 2015

From top 33% (2015) to top 11% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd of 157Ballard 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	82.0	35 of 320	89.1%	★★★★☆
2024	72.8	65 of 324	79.9%	★★★★☆
2023	62.0	106 of 327	67.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.6	103 of 320	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	34.9	177 of 282	37.2%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.1	145 of 335	56.7%	★★★☆☆
2018	67.9	79 of 322	75.5%	★★★★☆
2017	73.7	53 of 330	83.9%	★★★★☆
2016	73.0	54 of 331	83.7%	★★★★☆
2015	61.8	110 of 337	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2014	68.0	81 of 335	75.8%	★★★★☆
2013	61.7	103 of 335	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	68.9	74 of 319	76.8%	★★★★☆
2011	68.5	89 of 304	70.7%	★★★★☆
2010	69.8	79 of 299	73.6%	★★★★☆
2009	76.7	49 of 289	83.0%	★★★★☆
2008	77.2	51 of 287	82.2%	★★★★☆
2007	76.3	52 of 284	81.7%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	33.1	158 of 226	30.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	39.9	110 of 219	49.8%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	86.4	21 of 298	93.0%	★★★★★
2024	70.0	59 of 300	80.3%	★★★★☆
2023	62.2	91 of 295	69.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	60.1	85 of 299	71.6%	★★★★☆
2021	55.8	72 of 233	69.1%	★★★★☆
2019	38.7	205 of 299	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.8	114 of 290	60.7%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	71.4	68 of 314	78.3%	★★★★☆
2024	72.3	57 of 311	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	56.1	120 of 309	61.2%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.6	82 of 310	73.5%	★★★★☆
2021	39.6	123 of 224	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	54.4	124 of 303	59.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	70.9	53 of 285	81.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	75.7	56 of 303	81.5%	★★★★☆
2024	69.6	73 of 304	76.0%	★★★★☆
2023	56.6	120 of 307	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2022	56.3	104 of 304	65.8%	★★★☆☆
2021	31.3	149 of 222	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	64.6	85 of 303	71.9%	★★★★☆
2018	74.3	50 of 293	82.9%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	60.4	100 of 294	66.0%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2025	80.0	42 of 314	86.6%	★★★★☆
2024	68.6	77 of 316	75.6%	★★★★☆
2023	53.9	133 of 320	58.4%	★★★☆☆
2022	50.8	134 of 314	57.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	27.5	164 of 213	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.7	142 of 266	46.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	65.4	75 of 253	70.4%	★★★★☆

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)

Female (2025)93rd percentile+4 vs school

White (2025)87th percentile~ school

Male (2025)82nd percentile-8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2025)78th percentile-11 vs school

Special Education (2019)66th percentile+9 vs school

Disabled (2019)30th percentile-27 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2024-2025) ?

Editing and Mechanics67%+18 vs state

Writing65%+16 vs state

Reading64%+17 vs state

Social Studies57%+18 vs state

Mathematics53%+12 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ballard County Middle School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				KSA Mathematics (2025)			KSA Reading (2025)			KSA Science (2025)	KSA Writing (2025)	KSA Social Studies (2025)	KSA Editing and Mechanics (2025)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
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/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures: Total	Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Non-Personnel Spending from Federal Funds	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Personnel Spending from State and Local Funds	Non-Personnel from State and Local Funds	Sub-total Spending from State and Local Funds
Ballard County Middle School	Public	6-8	3561 Paducah Rd	Barlow	42024	Ballard County	Ballard County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 665-8400	202	14	14.7	50.5%	181 (89.6%)	5 (2.5%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	13 (6.4%)	82	35^th of 320 public middle schools	89.1%		72.8	65^th of 324 public middle schools	79.9%	30	53.0	49.0	57.0	69.0	61.0	63.0		65.0	57.0	67.0	$15,543	$1,981	$401	$2,383	$9,185	$1,663	$10,847
Heath Middle School	Public	6-8	4336 Metropolis Lake Rd	West Paducah	42086	McCracken County	McCracken County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 538-4070	433	24	18.2	50.3%	358 (82.7%)	16 (3.7%)	21 (4.8%)	10 (2.3%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (6.2%)	71.7	74^th of 320 public middle schools	76.9%		75.8	54^th of 324 public middle schools	83.3%	20	53.0	63.0	47.0	72.0	67.0	47.0	43.0	44.0	40.0	60.0	$16,722	$976	$654	$1,657	$10,119	$2,280	$12,372
Carlisle County Middle School	Public	6-8	4557 State Rt 1377	Bardwell	42023	Carlisle County	Carlisle County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 628-3800	159	11	14.4	56.6%	149 (93.7%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.6%)	1 (0.6%)	79	42^nd of 320 public middle schools	86.9%		73.4	60^th of 324 public middle schools	81.5%	18	43.0	69.0	69.0	46.0	67.0	64.0	45.0	67.0	64.0	58.0	$19,538	$766	$768	$1,534	$10,708	$3,523	$14,227
Lone Oak Middle School	Public	6-8	260 Bleich Road	Paducah	42003	McCracken County	McCracken County	No	No	No	Yes	(270) 538-4130	702	48	14.7	48.1%	567 (80.8%)	39 (5.6%)	42 (6.0%)	14 (2.0%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	39 (5.6%)	90.3	16^th of 320 public middle schools	95.0%		87.3	21^st of 324 public middle schools	93.5%	5	56.0	57.0	69.0	71.0	64.0	67.0	48.0	76.0	69.0	71.0	$15,312	$998	$653	$1,636	$9,902	$1,771	$11,689
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%)	35.4	214^th of 320 public middle schools	33.1%		36.3	208^th of 324 public middle schools	35.8%	6	35.0	39.0	41.0	47.0	48.0	37.0	25.0	45.0	30.0	44.0	$16,828	$1,503	$905	$2,408	$10,684	$3,736	$14,420

Frequently Asked Questions about Ballard County Middle School

What district is Ballard County Middle School in?

Ballard County

What high school do graduates of Ballard County Middle School attend?

Students who attend Ballard County Middle School usually go on to attend Ballard Memorial High School

How many students attend Ballard County Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 202 students attended Ballard County Middle School.

What is the racial makeup of Ballard County Middle School?

Students at Ballard County Middle School are 90% White, 6% Two or more races, 2% African American, 1% Hispanic.

Is Ballard County Middle School a good school?

Ballard County Middle School ranks 35^th of 320 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Rate Ballard County Middle School!

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Schools in Barlow, KY

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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.