Summary:
ZIP code 41005 has three elementary schools in Boone County: Burlington Elementary School, Stephens Elementary School and Charles H. Kelly Elementary School; all serve PK–5. The latest results show a wide spread between schools, especially in grade 5, and not every school or subject is above the state benchmark. Across the 10 tested subject-and-grade results, Kelly averages 67% proficient, compared with 45% at Burlington and 39% at Stephens. The clearest overall finding is that Kelly stands apart academically from the other two schools.
Kelly leads in seven of 10 comparisons and tops all five grade-5 results, including writing at 89%—54 percentage points above the state—and math and reading, both at 78%. Stephens leads in grade-3 reading at 56% and is second in grade-3 math, but is lowest in seven comparisons; its grade-5 social studies result is 21%. Burlington falls between the others on its overall average, but has the lowest grade-5 writing result at 20% and grade-3 math result at 54%. The contrast is especially sharp in grade-5 writing: Kelly’s 89% is 69 points above Burlington’s 20%.
Across 29 results available for both years, the schools’ average fell from 54% in 2024–2025 to 49% in 2025–2026, while the state average edged up by less than a point; the schools’ average lead narrowed from 9 points to 4. Burlington’s average declined by 9 points and Stephens’ by 6, while Kelly’s rose by 1. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile for Kelly was 90th in 2025–2026, compared with 53rd for Burlington and 36th for Stephens. Kelly is also the smallest school, with 242 students and an 11.5 student-teacher ratio; Burlington has 689 students and a 14.9 ratio, while Stephens has 577 students and a 12.8 ratio. In 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligibility was 41% at Kelly, 47% at Burlington and 42% at Stephens; these figures describe school contexts, not the cause of results.
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