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Phillip Sharp Middle School

Q: Is Phillip Sharp Middle School a good school?

Phillip Sharp Middle School ranks 223 rd of 326 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

223^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 326 Kentucky Middle Schools

Better than 32% of Kentucky middle schools

Summary

Phillip Sharp Middle School serves 420 students in grades 6–8 in Butler, in Pendleton County. Its 2025–2026 results show a clear contrast: 8th-grade Writing was a standout, but several other subjects fell below state results and nearby schools. The clearest concern is Mathematics: scores were 31% in grade 6, 22% in grade 7 and 23% in grade 8, below the state in every grade and lowest or tied for lowest among nearby schools.

Writing is the school’s strongest area compared with the state and nearby schools. Eighth-grade Writing was 68%, 20 points above the state and third-highest among nearby schools with reported scores; Editing and Mechanics was also above the state, at 50% versus 42%. By contrast, Reading and Social Studies were below state results, as was grade 7 Science. The school’s test scores matched those of Pendleton County in every reported subject and grade. SchoolDigger ranked the school at the 32nd percentile, 223rd of 326, with 2 stars in 2025–2026—behind four nearby schools, including Woodland Middle School and Walton-Verona Middle School, but ahead of Grant County Middle School and Williamstown Junior High.

Results have improved from 2022–2023 in most subjects: average Reading rose 12 points, Writing 39 points and Mathematics 6 points. Writing climbed from 32% to 68% in the latest year, while Mathematics remains below the state despite its longer-term improvement. The SchoolDigger percentile rose from 16 to 32 between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026. Context includes a 16.1 student–teacher ratio in 2024–2025 and 56% free/reduced lunch eligible that year, compared with a 51% average among nearby schools with the same measure. SchoolDigger’s statewide ranking for Male Students rose from the 18th percentile in 2023–2024 to the 41st in 2025–2026; its Special Education Students ranking was at the 42nd percentile in 2025–2026, compared with the school’s overall 32nd percentile.

420

Students ?

16.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$17,752

Per pupil spending ?

56.2%

Free/reduced lunch eligible (2024-25) ?

35 Wright Rd
Butler, KY 41006

(859) 472-7000

District: Pendleton County

Students who attend Phillip Sharp Middle School usually attend:

High:

Pendleton County High School

Feeder schools for Phillip Sharp Middle School:

Elementary:	Northern Elementary School
	Southern Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

96.0%

Two or more races:

1.7%

Hispanic:

1.4%

See top rated Kentucky middle schools

Compare Phillip Sharp Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 25th percentile in 2016 → 32nd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 7 percentile points since 2016

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Kentucky average (37% vs 42% meeting standards)

!Mathematics scores 15 pts below the Kentucky average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school37%

District avg37%

Kentucky avg42%

223^rd of 326

Kentucky public middle schools ?

Bottom 32%▲ up 7 pts since 2016

From bottom 25% (2016) to bottom 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Kentucky Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

117^th of 158Pendleton 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
2026	33.6	223 of 326	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	19.2	270 of 320	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	22.1	262 of 324	19.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	11.1	302 of 327	7.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	15.4	288 of 320	10.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	14.6	261 of 282	7.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.4	266 of 335	20.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	30.4	256 of 322	20.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	33.9	239 of 330	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	33.0	248 of 331	25.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	33.1	252 of 337	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	35.5	246 of 335	26.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	46.2	197 of 335	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2012	48.7	169 of 319	47.0%	★★☆☆☆
2011	66.8	98 of 304	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2010	68.6	84 of 299	71.9%	★★★★☆
2009	74.9	59 of 289	79.6%	★★★★☆
2008	55.6	119 of 287	58.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	57.5	118 of 284	58.5%	★★★☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2019	21.0	212 of 226	6.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2018	33.5	140 of 219	36.1%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	25.5	237 of 299	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.7	268 of 298	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.2	230 of 300	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	13.5	269 of 295	8.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.8	284 of 299	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	10.1	227 of 233	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	28.0	245 of 299	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	35.9	207 of 290	28.6%	★☆☆☆☆

Gifted and Talented

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2018	47.5	48 of 63	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	24.3	249 of 313	20.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	17.3	278 of 314	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	18.9	272 of 311	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	8.0	299 of 309	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.0	293 of 310	5.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.0	212 of 224	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.7	265 of 303	12.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	21.8	251 of 285	11.9%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	40.1	175 of 299	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2025	23.8	244 of 303	19.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	21.1	249 of 304	18.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	10.2	291 of 307	5.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	17.9	262 of 304	13.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	17.8	195 of 222	12.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.6	250 of 303	17.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.5	253 of 293	13.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	32.5	83 of 142	41.5%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.4	235 of 294	20.1%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Kentucky percentile	Rating
2026	29.1	227 of 316	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	14.5	282 of 314	10.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	16.6	275 of 316	13.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.9	304 of 320	5.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	12.7	296 of 314	5.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	8.5	209 of 213	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	234 of 266	12.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	22.3	217 of 253	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Special Education (2026)42nd percentile+10 vs school

Male (2026)41st percentile+10 vs school

White (2026)28th percentile-3 vs school

Gifted and Talented (2018)24th percentile+3 vs school

Female (2026)21st percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)20th percentile-11 vs school

Disabled (2019)6th percentile-14 vs school

By subject vs Kentucky (2025-2026) ?

Writing68%+20 vs state

Editing and Mechanics50%+8 vs state

Reading42%-6 vs state

Social Studies30%-9 vs state

Mathematics25%-15 vs state

Science17%-11 vs state

1.0

1 rating · 1 written review

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, March 6, 2020

i go, student to teacher ratio is in the high 20s now, we ALL have free lunches thanks to a program, teachers are leaving because the students are THAT BAD! they cannot control the students for the life of them. Close Quote

Schools Near Phillip Sharp Middle School

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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 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	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Phillip Sharp Middle School	Public	6-8	35 Wright Rd	Butler	41006	Pendleton County	Pendleton County	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 472-7000	420	26	16.1	56.2%	403 (96.0%)	3 (0.7%)	6 (1.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (1.7%)	33.6	223^rd of 326 public middle schools	31.6%		19.2	270^th of 320 public middle schools	15.6%	47	31.0	22.0	23.0	51.0	38.0	36.0	17.0	68.0	30.0	50.0	$17,752	$808	$13,391
Williamstown Junior High	Public	6-8	300 Helton Street	Williamstown	41097	Grant County	Williamstown Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 824-4421	172	13	13.3	59.3%	165 (95.9%)	1 (0.6%)	4 (2.3%)	2 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9.6	310^th of 326 public middle schools	4.9%		18.1	274^th of 320 public middle schools	14.4%	36	32.0	22.0		44.0	26.0	18.0		20.0	18.0	13.0	$17,167	$1,362	$12,759
Grant County Middle School	Public	6-8	305 School Rd	Dry Ridge	41035	Grant County	Grant County	No	No	No	No	(859) 824-7161	699	37	18.8	68.8%	611 (87.4%)	9 (1.3%)	53 (7.6%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	20 (2.9%)	27.6	248^th of 326 public middle schools	23.9%		31.3	227^th of 320 public middle schools	29.1%	21	34.0	39.0	32.0	44.0	46.0	30.0	15.0	40.0	35.0	26.0	$15,544	$973	$14,570
Twenhofel Middle School	Public	6-8	11846 Taylor Mill Rd	Independence	41051	Kenton County	Kenton County	No	No	No	No	(859) 356-5559	775	40	19.3	35.9%	676 (87.2%)	30 (3.9%)	32 (4.1%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.1%)	79.7	45^th of 326 public middle schools	86.2%		75.6	56^th of 320 public middle schools	82.5%	11	61.0	55.0	61.0	63.0	61.0	49.0	41.0	61.0	50.0	55.0
Campbell County Middle School	Public	6-8	8000 Alexandria Pk	Alexandria	41001	Campbell County	Campbell County	No	No	No	No	(859) 635-6077	1,099	67	16.4	47.2%	977 (88.9%)	24 (2.2%)	23 (2.1%)	20 (1.8%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	53 (4.8%)	57.9	113^th of 326 public middle schools	65.3%		54.9	133^rd of 320 public middle schools	58.4%	20	55.0	47.0	54.0	55.0	46.0	42.0	26.0	54.0	43.0	44.0	$15,064	$870	$14,194
Walton-Verona Middle School	Public	6-8	32 School Rd	Walton	41094	Boone County	Walton-Verona Independent	No	No	No	Yes	(859) 485-4181	425	31	13.7	38.1%	385 (90.6%)	5 (1.2%)	18 (4.2%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (3.3%)	87	25^th of 326 public middle schools	92.3%		90.8	15^th of 320 public middle schools	95.3%	10	60.0	64.0	53.0	64.0	71.0	60.0	53.0	78.0	46.0	64.0	$25,005	$319	$16,602
Bracken County Middle School	Public	6-8	167 Parsley Drive	Brooksville	41004	Bracken County	Bracken County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 735-3425	266	17	15.9	58.3%	255 (95.9%)	1 (0.4%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.4%)	52.6	138^th of 326 public middle schools	57.7%		49.7	151^st of 320 public middle schools	52.8%	13	43.0	42.0	49.0	51.0	53.0	50.0	23.0	35.0	48.0	46.0	$13,851	$1,195	$12,656
Woodland Middle School	Public	6-8	5399 Pride Parkway	Taylor Mill	41015	Kenton County	Kenton County	No	No	No	No	(859) 356-7300	542	32	16.9	46.9%	445 (82.1%)	14 (2.6%)	33 (6.1%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	46 (8.5%)	81.2	41^st of 326 public middle schools	87.4%		76.1	55^th of 320 public middle schools	82.8%	14	52.0	51.0	55.0	67.0	62.0	55.0	43.0	83.0	49.0	54.0

Frequently Asked Questions about Phillip Sharp Middle School

How many students attend Phillip Sharp Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 420 students attended Phillip Sharp Middle School.

Is Phillip Sharp Middle School a good school?

Phillip Sharp Middle School ranks 223^rd of 326 Kentucky middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Phillip Sharp Middle School attend?

Students who attend Phillip Sharp Middle School usually go on to attend Pendleton County High School

What district is Phillip Sharp Middle School in?

Pendleton County

What is the racial makeup of Phillip Sharp Middle School?

Students at Phillip Sharp Middle School are 96% White, 2% Two or more races, 1% Hispanic.

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Latest Kentucky data All new data »

2024–25 school spending dataOct 15, 2026

2025–26 attendance data, dropout rates & graduation ratesOct 15, 2026

2025–26 KSA test scoresOct 15, 2026

2024–25 KSA test scoresOct 30, 2025

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.