MOREHEAD, Ky. — October 15, 2026 — Rowan County Schools is celebrating academic improvements across the district following the release of the latest Kentucky School Assessment (KSA) accountability results.
The district recently released its “KSA Accountability Bright Spots” report, highlighting improvements in student achievement, academic growth, school climate and graduation rates at schools throughout Rowan County.
While the report identifies several areas of progress, the overall accountability ratings indicate that work remains to improve academic performance across the district.
Of the six traditional elementary, middle and high schools included in the report, three received overall yellow ratings and three received orange ratings.
Elementary Schools Demonstrate Academic Progress
Clearfield Elementary School — Orange Rating
Despite receiving an overall orange accountability rating, Clearfield Elementary achieved green ratings in science, social studies and writing.
The school also received a high rating on the Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey, which measures students' perceptions of their learning environment.
McBrayer Elementary School — Yellow Rating
McBrayer Elementary demonstrated progress in both academic achievement and school climate.
The school earned a blue rating on the Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey, indicating particularly strong results in that area.
Additionally, fifth-grade students reduced novice-level performance in both reading and mathematics, demonstrating progress toward higher achievement levels.
Rodburn Elementary School — Yellow Rating
Rodburn Elementary reported improvements across multiple academic indicators.
According to the district, the school earned green ratings across all accountability indicators, with scores increasing in every category.
Fourth-grade students also performed above the state average in both reading and mathematics.
Another improvement came in fifth-grade reading, where the percentage of students performing at the novice level declined by nine percentage points.
Tilden Hogge Elementary School — Orange Rating
Tilden Hogge Elementary highlighted improvements in fifth-grade reading achievement.
The percentage of fifth-grade students scoring at the novice level in reading declined by nine percentage points.
Although the school received an overall orange accountability rating, district officials cited the reduction as evidence of progress toward higher academic achievement.
Middle School Students Excel in Writing
Rowan County Middle School — Orange Rating
Rowan County Middle School received an overall orange accountability rating but reported a notable achievement in writing.
The school's combined writing score was 12 percentage points above the Kentucky state average, according to the district's report.
The result represents a significant bright spot for the middle school as educators continue working to improve performance in other academic areas.
Rowan County Senior High School Reports Strong Graduation Rate
Rowan County Senior High School — Yellow Rating
Rowan County Senior High School reported several encouraging indicators, including improvements in academic performance, school climate and graduation rates.
The high school earned a blue rating in postsecondary readiness, an important measure of how effectively schools prepare students for college, career training or other opportunities after graduation.
The school also reported increased scores in science, social studies and writing.
Additionally, officials noted significant improvement in results from the Quality of School Climate and Safety Survey.
Perhaps most notably, Rowan County Senior High School reported a 97.9% graduation rate, reflecting the percentage of students completing high school within the state's applicable graduation-rate measurement.
Rowan Academy Reports 96.8% Graduation Rate
Rowan Academy also highlighted encouraging results in student participation and graduation.
According to the district's report, the academy achieved 100% participation in testing among students in kindergarten through fifth grade.
The school also reported a 96.8% graduation rate.
These results were included in the district's Bright Spots report, although an overall accountability color rating for Rowan Academy was not listed.
Understanding Kentucky's School Accountability Ratings
Kentucky's school accountability system uses a color-coded scale to communicate overall school performance.
The five performance levels, ranked from highest to lowest, are:
Blue — Very High Performance
Green — High Performance
Yellow — Medium Performance
Orange — Low Performance
Red — Very Low Performance
These ratings consider multiple indicators, which may include reading, mathematics, science, social studies, writing, student growth, school climate, postsecondary readiness and graduation rates, depending on grade level.
A school receiving an orange rating may demonstrate improvement in individual subjects while still falling within the state's low overall performance category.
Similarly, a yellow rating represents medium overall performance, even when a school earns higher ratings in specific academic areas.
This distinction is important because the district's Bright Spots report focuses on areas of progress rather than presenting a comprehensive breakdown of every accountability indicator.
District Establishes Goals for Continued Improvement
Rowan County Schools says the results are part of a broader districtwide effort to strengthen academic achievement.
Under its three-year strategic plan, the district has established goals of:
Reducing the percentage of students performing at the novice level in reading and mathematics by 15 percentage points.
Increasing the percentage of students performing at the proficient level in reading and mathematics by 15 percentage points.
Accomplishing those improvements across all grade levels.
The district has also emphasized its Valiant Viking Competencies framework, which focuses on developing students as lifelong learners, active collaborators, critical thinkers, global citizens and effective communicators.
Those competencies are intended to complement traditional academic instruction by preparing students for life beyond the classroom.
Progress Worth Celebrating, With Work Still Ahead
The latest accountability results present a mixed but encouraging picture for Rowan County Schools.
Improvements in reading, writing, school climate and graduation rates demonstrate measurable areas of success.
At the same time, the overall orange ratings at Clearfield Elementary, Tilden Hogge Elementary and Rowan County Middle School show that additional improvement remains necessary.
The district's challenge moving forward will be to build upon the individual achievements highlighted in its report while raising overall academic performance.
For Rowan County students, parents and educators, the results provide both reasons to celebrate and benchmarks against which future progress can be measured.
The district's guiding message remains:
“Every Student. Every Opportunity.”
Source: Rowan County Schools' KSA Accountability Bright Spots report, released October 2026. School ratings and achievement figures are based on information published by the district.
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