Southern Elementary School, 340 Wilson Downing Road: preschool through fifth grade; 476 students in 2024-25, rated Yellow by Kentucky for 2025-26.
Last checked Oct. 16, 2026. Sources: the school’s website, Fayette County Public Schools’ elementary schools page, 2026-27 calendar (PDF), the Kentucky Department of Education’s 2025-26 accountability data, the federal NCES school directory and the district’s attendance zone maps.
Southern Elementary School is a Fayette County Public Schools elementary school for preschool through fifth grade at 340 Wilson Downing Road, Lexington.
Who to call
- Front office: 859-422-3589, 340 Wilson Downing Road
- School website: southernelem.fcps.net
- Which school is my address zoned for? The district’s SchoolSite Locator
- Enrolling: Enrollment in FCPS, then the school’s registrar; out-of-area requests, 859-422-0320
- Buses: register as a rider each year; routes are on the district’s School Bus Portal; bus-tracking app questions, 859-422-2877
- District office: Fayette County Public Schools, 450 Park Place, 859-422-4100
| Address | 340 Wilson Downing Road, Lexington, KY 40517 |
| Phone | 859-422-3589 |
| Grades | PK-5 |
| School day | 7:45 a.m. to 2:35 p.m. |
| Run by | Fayette County Public Schools |
| State school code | 165081 |
Principal
Principal Brandy Holley, according to the school’s website on Oct. 16, 2026.
Enrollment and teachers
Southern Elementary School had 476 students in the 2024-25 school year, with 39 full-time-equivalent teachers, about 12 students per teacher, according to the federal NCES school directory. That is the latest federal count.
State report card
Kentucky rates schools on state tests in reading and math and in science, social studies and writing, English learner progress, school climate and safety and, for high schools, postsecondary readiness and graduation. Each score combines this year’s results with the change from last year, and ratings run, from highest to lowest, Blue, Green, Yellow, Orange and Red, according to the Kentucky Department of Education.
2025-26 overall rating: Yellow, with an overall score of 59.5. Fayette County Public Schools’ elementary schools as a whole rated Green (71.1); statewide, elementary schools rated Yellow (64.7).
| Indicator | Score | Rating |
|---|---|---|
| Reading and math | 59.8 | Green |
| Science, social studies and writing | 51.9 | Orange |
| English learner progress | 103.7 | Blue |
| Quality of school climate and safety | 76.1 | Yellow |
On the 2025-26 Kentucky Summative Assessment, 41% of students scored proficient or distinguished in reading (district 56%, state 50%) and 34% in math (district 50%, state 43%).
The full report card, with test results by student group, attendance and teacher data, is on the school’s page on the Kentucky School Report Card. All figures above are from the Kentucky Department of Education’s 2025-26 assessment and accountability datasets, published Oct. 14, 2026.
Attendance zone and feeder schools
Every Fayette County address is zoned to one elementary, one middle and one high school. Look up an address on the district’s SchoolSite Locator.
About 5,400 residential addresses fall in the Southern Elementary zone. Of those, the middle school zones are Southern Middle (100%), and the high school zones are Tates Creek High (100%). We matched the district’s current attendance zone maps with the Lexington-Fayette Urban County Government’s residential address points. The locator is the final word for any single address.
Families who want a school outside their zone can ask through the district’s out-of-area request process, which the district says is open only in “extremely limited” circumstances.
Calendar and school day
The school day runs 7:45 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., according to the district’s elementary schools page.
Southern Elementary follows the district’s 2026-27 calendar (PDF), which the school board approved June 23, 2025. Coming up:
- Tuesday, Nov. 3: Election Day; no classes
- Nov. 25-27: Thanksgiving break
- Dec. 21 to Jan. 1, 2027: winter break; Monday, Jan. 4, 2027, is also a no-class day, and students return Tuesday, Jan. 5
- Monday, Jan. 18, 2027: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- Monday, Feb. 15, 2027: Presidents Day
- Friday, March 19, 2027: no classes; possible weather make-up day
- April 5-9, 2027: spring break; Monday, April 12, is also a no-class day
- Tuesday, May 18, 2027: primary election; no classes
- Wednesday, May 26, 2027: last day of classes, pending weather make-up days
Live dates and school events are on the district calendar.
More
- The school’s own website
- Southern Elementary School on the Kentucky School Report Card
- Fayette County Public Schools’ elementary schools page and magnet and specialized programs
- Every public school in Lexington, with zones and report cards
- Our Lexington schools guide for the calendar, enrollment and the school board
Frequently asked questions
What grades does Southern Elementary serve?
Southern Elementary serves preschool through fifth grade, according to Fayette County Public Schools.
What is Southern Elementary’s Kentucky school rating?
Southern Elementary was rated Yellow, with an overall score of 59.5, in Kentucky’s 2025-26 school accountability results. Blue is the highest of the five ratings and Red the lowest.
Which middle school does Southern Elementary feed into?
Most homes in the Southern Elementary zone are zoned for Southern Middle, by our count of address points. Check a single address on the district’s SchoolSite Locator.
What time does Southern Elementary start?
The school day runs 7:45 a.m. to 2:35 p.m., according to the district’s school directory.
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