Our Affiliated Project: Fairview Independent School in Westwood, Kentucky

facts about Fairview Independent School:

  • Grades served: Preschool – twelfth
  • Average enrollment: 750 students
  • Facility description: The cement and brick buildings house classrooms, two cafeterias, two gymnasiums, art rooms, music rooms, and computer labs and media center.
  • School curriculum: Based on the KY Program of Studies and the KY Core Content. To view the school’s state report card visit www.k12.ky.us.
  • Academic schedule: The school year typically begins the first week of August and ends the second week of May. Normal holidays are observed.
  • Percentage of students on the Federal Free or Reduced Price Meal Program: 80%
  • Meals: Breakfast and lunch are served daily.
  • School activities: Extracurricular activities include Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, cheerleading, basketball, academic team, dance team, cool camp and chess club.
  • Teachers: Forty-four classroom teachers, six special education teachers, two full-time speech teachers and two guidance counselors. Parent volunteers are also very important, and their influence can generate new interest among undereducated parents for their children’s education.

Fairview Independent School includes two campuses — Fairview Elementary and Fairview High — which are located just a few blocks apart from each other in the small community of Westwood, Kentucky. Like many communities in eastern Kentucky, Westwood has suffered greatly from the decline of the coal mining and steel industries that once dominated the area. At one point, Armco Steel employed the majority of the Westwood workforce and made it a prosperous town.

Today, only 1300 employees are left at Armco, and poverty, high dropout rates and unemployment are now significant problems. Fairview Elementary School serves as a beacon of hope to this rural community. Many children from Westwood’s impoverished families look forward to school, where they receive a well-rounded education, two nutritious meals and the attention of a dedicated and caring staff.