Summary:
Zip code 42404 has one listed school, Clay Elementary School, serving PK–6 and enrolling 194 students, so families have no other local school for a direct comparison. Its 2025–2026 results cover math and reading in grades 3–6, plus science, writing, social studies, and editing and mechanics. The most important finding is that performance varies by subject: math is stronger than the state average overall, while reading is weaker.
Grade 6 math stands out at 70% proficient, 28 percentage points above Kentucky; grade 4 and grade 5 math were also above the state by 12 and 9 points. Grade 5 writing was 48%, 13 points above the state. The clearest shortfall is grade 5 social studies: 15%, or 23 points below the state. Reading was 14–16 points below the state in grades 3–5, but grade 6 reading reached 57%, 3 points above. These are differences among subjects and grades at the same school, not a ranking of local schools.
Results declined on six of seven grade-and-subject measures that can be compared with the prior year, although grade 4 math rose 27 points, from 28% to 55%; grade 5 writing fell 20 points, from 68% to 48%. Across those matched measures, Clay’s average advantage over the state narrowed by about 7 points. SchoolDigger ranks Clay 409th of 684 Kentucky elementary schools, at the 40th percentile with two stars, compared with 222nd of 685 and three stars the year before. Other context: the student–teacher ratio was 15:1 and 63% of students were free/reduced lunch eligible in 2024–2025. Chronic absenteeism was 21% in 2025–2026, below Webster County at 28% and the state at 24%.
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