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Best Public Schools in Zip Code 42539

New rankings! SchoolDigger recently updated its Kentucky rankings with newly released test scores for the 2025-26 school year.

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At a glance

Schools

2,179

Students

Districts

Top rankedLiberty Elementary School387^th of 684 Kentucky elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Walnut Hill Elementary School up 55 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

Walnut Hill Elementary School 13.1 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

2★

1★

0★

1 school without a SchoolDigger rating (too few tested students)

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Summary:

Five schools in zip code 42539 serve students from elementary through high school and enroll 2,179 students, from 312 at Jones Park Elementary to 630 at Casey County High School. The clearest overall concern is that elementary-school averages in 2025–2026 were below state results in every subject with complete, comparable data: by 6 points in math, 8 in reading, 7 in grade 4 science, 8 in grade 5 social studies and 14 in grade 5 editing and mechanics.

Liberty Elementary School is the most consistent elementary standout, leading or tying for the lead in five reported grade-and-subject comparisons. It scored 49% in grade 5 math, compared with 31% at Walnut Hill Elementary School and 19% at Jones Park—a 30-point spread. Walnut Hill has notable strengths of its own: it leads elementary reading in grades 3 and 4, and its grade 4 science result, 41%, is just above the state’s 40%. Jones Park is lowest in nearly all reported elementary math and reading comparisons; its grade 5 writing result is state-suppressed and cannot be compared. Casey County High pairs a 96% graduation rate with proficiency below the state in five of six reported subjects; its reading result, 41%, is close to writing at 46%, while state figures are 49% and 47%.

Recent changes are mixed: the elementary math gap with the state widened from 3 points to 6, and the reading gap from 4 to 8, between 2024–2025 and 2025–2026; at Casey County Middle School, the math gap narrowed from 11 points to 6 and the reading gap from 11 to 5. Jones Park’s grade 5 math and reading fell 32 and 38 points in one year, respectively, while Liberty’s grade 5 math rose 6 points. SchoolDigger’s latest statewide rankings place Liberty at the 43rd percentile and Jones Park at the 9th; Jones Park fell from the 56th percentile the year before. As context, all five schools report free/reduced lunch eligible for 2024–2025, with rates from 65% to 78%; reported student-teacher ratios range from 13.1 at Walnut Hill to 15.2 at Casey County High.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				KSA Mathematics (2026)							KSA Reading (2026)							KSA Science (2026)			KSA Writing (2026)			KSA Social Studies (2026)			KSA Editing and Mechanics (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2025)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/reduced lunch (2024-25)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	KSA Mathematics 3rd Grade	KSA Mathematics 4th Grade	KSA Mathematics 5th Grade	KSA Mathematics 6th Grade	KSA Mathematics 7th Grade	KSA Mathematics 8th Grade	KSA Mathematics 10th Grade	KSA Reading 3rd Grade	KSA Reading 4th Grade	KSA Reading 5th Grade	KSA Reading 6th Grade	KSA Reading 7th Grade	KSA Reading 8th Grade	KSA Reading 10th Grade	KSA Science 4th Grade	KSA Science 7th Grade	KSA Science 11th Grade	KSA Writing 5th Grade	KSA Writing 8th Grade	KSA Writing 11th Grade	KSA Social Studies 5th Grade	KSA Social Studies 8th Grade	KSA Social Studies 11th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 5th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 8th Grade	KSA Editing and Mechanics 11th Grade	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Casey County Area Technology Center	Public	8-12	1723 East KY 70	Liberty	42539	Casey County	Kentucky Technical System	No	No	No	No	(606) 787-6241	0	0		—	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()	0 ()								(n/a)
Casey County High School	Public	9-12	1841 E Ky 70	Liberty	42539	Casey County	Casey County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 787-6151	630	41	15.2	65.2%	543 (86.2%)	7 (1.1%)	56 (8.9%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	2 (0.3%)	15 (2.4%)	32.1	185^th of 262 public high schools	29.4%		46.7	138^th of 254 public high schools	45.7%	47							33.0							41.0			19.0			46.0			25.0			32.0	$17,852	$2,828	$15,024
Liberty Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	75 College St	Liberty	42539	Casey County	Casey County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 787-6942	369	24	15.1	71.5%	325 (88.1%)	3 (0.8%)	35 (9.5%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	44.4	387^th of 684 public elementary schools	43.4%		48.8	343^rd of 685 public elementary schools	49.9%	44	48.0	49.0	49.0					48.0	49.0	45.0					33.0			19.0			38.0			40.0			$14,212	$2,849	$11,363
Casey County Middle School	Public	6-8	1673 E Ky 70	Liberty	42539	Casey County	Casey County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 787-6942	497	35	14.3	73.0%	433 (87.1%)	5 (1.0%)	43 (8.7%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.6%)	30.6	236^th of 326 public middle schools	27.6%		21.1	263^rd of 320 public middle schools	17.8%	27				50.0	31.0	20.0					60.0	44.0	29.0			24.0			34.0			31.0			27.0		$13,525	$2,486	$11,039
Jones Park Elementary	Public	PK, KG-5	6295 East KY 70	Liberty	42539	Casey County	Casey County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 787-6942	312	22	13.9	77.6%	281 (90.1%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (5.1%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	14 (4.5%)	13.9	620^th of 684 public elementary schools	9.4%		54.1	302^nd of 685 public elementary schools	55.9%	318	33.0	29.0	19.0					33.0	36.0	27.0					24.0						16.0			28.0			$18,375	$3,905	$14,470
Walnut Hill Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2834 S Us 127	Liberty	42539	Casey County	Casey County	No	No	No	Yes	(606) 787-6942	371	28	13.1	77.1%	320 (86.3%)	2 (0.5%)	42 (11.3%)	1 (0.3%)	4 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.5%)	38.7	430^th of 684 public elementary schools	37.1%		32.6	485^th of 685 public elementary schools	29.2%	55	28.0	49.0	31.0					49.0	53.0	38.0					41.0						35.0			35.0			$16,364	$3,751	$12,613

Cities Near Zip Code 42539

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Liberty	2.55 mi	6	254^th
Hustonville	14.05 mi	1	16^th
Russell Springs	16.5 mi	5	132^nd
Waynesburg	17.41 mi	2	108^th
Eubank	18.5 mi	1	216^th

See the top KY Kentucky cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Kentucky Department of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.