Summary:
ZIP code 42167 has two Monroe County elementary schools, both serving prekindergarten through fifth grade: Tompkinsville Elementary has 437 students and Joe Harrison Carter has 260. Their 2025–26 results show strengths in different subjects, rather than one school leading across the board. Most importantly, every reported math and reading score at both schools was above the same-grade state result; across reported grades, the average advantage was 15 points in math and 8 in reading.
Tompkinsville stands out in fifth-grade social studies, scoring 84% compared with 28% at Joe Harrison Carter—a 56-point gap. That is 46 points above the state at Tompkinsville, while Joe Harrison Carter is 10 points below. The lead shifts by grade in math: Joe Harrison Carter scored 70% in third grade, 12 points above Tompkinsville, while Tompkinsville led fourth grade 58% to 46%. Tompkinsville also led reading where both schools reported results, by 1 point in third grade and 4 in fourth. Joe Harrison Carter’s fifth-grade writing and editing-and-mechanics scores were 16 and 37 points above the state, respectively, though its social studies result was lower.
Recent results and rankings tell different stories: across comparable year-to-year test results, the schools’ average margin over the state narrowed by about 3 points, even as current reported math and reading scores remain above state results. SchoolDigger ranks Tompkinsville 91st of 684 Kentucky elementary schools with 4 stars; Joe Harrison Carter ranks 177th with 4 stars. Tompkinsville’s rank fell from 19th the prior year, while Joe Harrison Carter’s has stayed nearly level after a large earlier rise. In 2024–25, Tompkinsville had a lower student-teacher ratio (13.4 versus 16.2) and a higher share of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (75% versus 66%). In 2025–26, chronic absenteeism was lower at Joe Harrison Carter: 16% versus 22% at Tompkinsville. These are useful differences to weigh alongside the schools’ distinct subject strengths.
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