Best Public Schools in Zip Code 42141

ZIP code 42141 has 15 schools: seven elementary, two middle, five high, and one alternative school, serving students across elementary through high school in the Barren County and Glasgow Independent districts. In 2025–2026, the seven elementary schools averaged 49% in grade 5 math, 6 points above the state, and 47% in writing, 12 points above it; their grade 5 social studies average was 37%, about 1 point below the state. But scores differed substantially school to school: grade 5 math ranged from 23% to 65%, and grade 3 reading ranged from 27% to 70%. The key takeaway is that results vary sharply by school, grade, and subject rather than showing one consistent area-wide pattern.

Hiseville Elementary School was the clearest elementary standout: it led in grade 5 math (65%), writing (82%), social studies (53%), and editing and mechanics (79%), scoring 15 to 47 points above the state in those subjects; SchoolDigger placed it in the 83rd statewide percentile and awarded four stars. South Green Elementary School showed broader strength across grades and subjects, with four stars and a 73rd-percentile SchoolDigger ranking. At the other end of particular comparisons, Red Cross Elementary School had the lowest reported grade 5 math score, 23%—20 points below the state—while Eastern Elementary School scored 27% in grade 3 reading, 22 points below the state. Red Cross also led grade 3 reading at 70%. For older students, grade 8 writing was a strength at Barren County Middle School (66%) and Glasgow Middle School (59%), versus 48% statewide; among conventional high schools, Glasgow High School led grade 10 math, while Barren County High School led grade 11 writing and editing and mechanics. Bavel also reported high scores in some subjects, including 76% in grade 10 reading, but it is an alternative school and not directly comparable with conventional schools.

Recent elementary trends were mixed: across the same seven schools, grade 5 reading averages rose from 50% in 2024–2025 to 53% in 2025–2026, while math averages fell from 51% to 49%; math remained above the state’s 43% in both years. SchoolDigger rankings also moved in different directions: Hiseville rose 16 percentile points from 2023–2024 to 2025–2026, while Glasgow High fell 20. As context, the 2024–2025 measure was free/reduced lunch eligible: 67% at Hiseville, 66% at South Green, and 63% at Highland; those figures do not by themselves explain achievement differences.