Summary:
ZIP code 42003 has one listed high school, Paducah Tilghman High School, serving grades 9–12 with 860 students. Its 2025–2026 graduation rate was 95%, slightly above the state’s 94%, and its dropout rate was lower (0.4% versus 1.0%). The most important concern is attendance: 37% of students were chronically absent, 13 percentage points above the state rate.
With no other high school in the ZIP code to compare, the clearest strengths and weaknesses are across subjects. In 2025–2026, the school was ahead of the state in reading by 4 percentage points, science by 6 and social studies by 5; it matched the state in mathematics and editing and mechanics, and trailed by 4 points in writing. Reading was its strongest result at 53%, while science was lowest at 29%. Across the six subjects, its simple average was 41%, compared with 39% statewide—about a 2-point advantage—but that overall edge does not mean results were strong across every subject.
Results improved notably in science and writing between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026: science rose from 18% to 29%, while the state increased from 22% to 23%; writing rose from 31% to 43%, while the state moved from 45% to 47%. The school’s six-subject average gained 5 points, compared with less than 1 point for the state, although mathematics fell 3 points and reading rose just 1. SchoolDigger’s statewide percentile ranking increased from 31 to 62 over the two most recent reported years, and its rating rose from 2 stars to 3. As context, the school reported 58% free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025 and a 15.2 student-teacher ratio.
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