Summary:
ZIP code 41129 has two Boyd County elementary schools: Ponderosa Elementary, serving kindergarten through grade 5, and Catlettsburg Elementary, serving prekindergarten through grade 5. Their 2025–2026 results vary notably by grade and subject, so neither school leads across the board; the most important finding is that families should compare the results for the grades and subjects that matter to them.
Ponderosa stands out in grade 4 science, with 58% proficient—18 points above the state and 6 above Catlettsburg—and grade 5 Editing and Mechanics, where its 73% was 25 points above the state and 32 above Catlettsburg. Catlettsburg led in grade 3 reading at 53%, 4 points above the state and 15 above Ponderosa, and in grade 4 reading at 63%, 13 points above the state and 7 above Ponderosa. The pattern reverses in grade 5 reading: Ponderosa had 49%, 19 points above Catlettsburg, though 2 below the state; Catlettsburg’s 30% was 21 points below the state. Ponderosa’s grade 3 math result was also low at 29%, compared with 43% statewide.
Results changed in different directions over time: Ponderosa’s average across 10 comparable results fell from about 56% in 2024–2025 to 49% in 2025–2026, while Catlettsburg’s average across six comparable results rose from about 39% to 45%. SchoolDigger’s percentile ranking also declined for Ponderosa, from 84 to 61 between 2023–2024 and 2025–2026, while Catlettsburg’s rose from 26 to 51. Context differs too: in 2024–2025, Ponderosa’s student–teacher ratio was 13.2 and 51% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible; Catlettsburg’s ratio was 9.6 and 71% were eligible. These are contextual differences, not explanations for achievement; chronic absenteeism in 2025–2026 was 16.7% at Ponderosa and 33.1% at Catlettsburg.
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