Best Public Schools in Zip Code 41017

Zip code 41017 has eight schools serving 6,103 students: four elementary schools, one middle school, two high schools and one alternative school, in the Kenton County and Beechwood Independent districts. Seven schools have reported 2025–26 test results; Guardian Angel’s school-level scores are state-suppressed. The clearest takeaway is that results vary substantially by school: the average state margin ranges from just 1 point at River Ridge Elementary to 27 points at Beechwood High.

Beechwood High and Beechwood Elementary are the clearest academic standouts, averaging 27 and 24 points above the state, respectively; R.C. Hinsdale Elementary also averages 17 points above. Beechwood High’s eighth-grade math proficiency is 80%, compared with 39% statewide, while Beechwood Elementary’s fifth-grade writing is 86%, compared with 35%. By contrast, River Ridge averages only 1 point above the state, with third-grade math 6 points below. Results vary within schools, too: Hinsdale’s fifth-grade writing is 3 points below the state despite stronger scores in several other subjects. SchoolDigger ranks Beechwood High 11th of 262 Kentucky high schools and Beechwood Elementary 49th of 684 elementary schools.

Area results improved slightly overall, but school trends diverged: the average margin over the state rose from about 14 points in 2024–25 to 15 points in 2025–26. Beechwood Elementary’s fifth-grade writing increased from 62% to 86%, while Beechwood High’s seventh-grade math fell from 83% to 66%; River Ridge and Hinsdale also lost ground on average. SchoolDigger’s ranking history shows River Ridge moving from the 78th to the 51st percentile and Caywood from the 74th to the 79th between 2023–24 and 2025–26. Income measures offer context, not a prediction: in 2024–25, free/reduced lunch eligibility was 6% at Beechwood High, 8% at Beechwood Elementary and 55% at River Ridge; Caywood was similar to River Ridge at 58%, but averaged 12 points above the state. Student–teacher ratios also differ, from 14.7 at River Ridge to 22.5 at Dixie Heights High. Guardian Angel instead reports that all students receive free meals (Community Eligibility), school year 2024–25.