Emmalena Elementary School

Emmalena Elementary School earns a composite score of 9.1/10 — rated Exceptional — placing it eighth among 1,284 public schools across Kentucky. For a PK–8 campus of 205 students in Knott County, that standing is remarkable: the school outranks every other school in the county and lands sixth among 708 Kentucky elementary schools statewide. The numbers behind the rating tell a clear story.

Academic performance scores 7.9/10. Growth — the measure of how much students improve year over year — reaches 9.7/10, a near-perfect mark and the strongest driver in the composite. That growth rate puts Emmalena ahead of nearly every public school in the state, a consistent signal that instruction is moving students forward at an accelerated pace.

Enrollment sits at 205 students with an 11.4-to-1 student-teacher ratio, giving students more direct access to instruction than most public schools provide. Emmalena serves pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, keeping students in one building across the full elementary and middle span. Parents searching for high-performing public schools in eastern Kentucky will find few options that match this school's combination of statewide rank and growth momentum.

Located in a rural area, Emmalena Elementary School may involve longer commutes for some families. Rural schools often serve as community anchors and may have smaller class sizes, but parents should consider transportation logistics, after-school program availability, and access to specialized services.