Public education in Kentucky

K-12 education in Kentucky

Education facts

State superintendent: Robbie Fletcher

Number of students: 691,667

Number of teachers: 42,212

Teacher/pupil ratio: 1:16.3

Number of school districts: 171

Number of schools: 1,473

Graduation rate: 91%

Per-pupil spending: $11,397

See also

Kentucky Department of Education • List of school districts in Kentucky • Kentucky • School boards portal

Public education in the United States Public education in Kentucky Glossary of education terms

Note: The statistics on this page are mainly from government sources, including the U.S. Census Bureau and the National Center for Education Statistics. Figures given were the most recent as of June 2015.

The Kentucky public school system (prekindergarten through grade 12) operates within districts governed by locally elected school boards and superintendents. In 2022, Kentucky had 691,667 students enrolled in a total of 1,473 schools in 171 school districts. There were 42,212 teachers in the public schools, or roughly one teacher for every 16 students, compared to the national average of 1:16. In 2020, Kentucky spent on average $11,397 per pupil.^[1] The state's graduation rate was 91 percent in the 2018-2019 school year.^[2]

General information

See also: General comparison table for education statistics in the 50 states and Education spending per pupil in all 50 states

The following chart shows how Kentucky compares to the national level for the most recent years for which data is available.

Academic performance

The sections below do not contain the most recently published data on this subject. If you would like to help our coverage grow, consider donating to Ballotpedia.

Education terms
For more information on education policy terms, see this article.
School board elections portal Glossary of education terms School choice on the ballot Education on the ballot

NAEP scores

See also: NAEP scores by state

The National Center for Education Statistics provides state-by-state data on student achievement levels in mathematics and reading in the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). The table below presents the percentage of fourth and eighth grade students that scored at or above proficient in reading and math during school year 2012-2013. Compared to three neighboring states (Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia), Kentucky had the highest share of eighth grade students who scored at or above proficient in reading.^[3]

Graduation, ACT and SAT scores

See also: Graduation rates by groups in state and ACT and SAT scores in the United States

The following table shows the graduation rates and average composite ACT and SAT scores for Kentucky and surrounding states during the 2012-2013 school year. All statements made in this section refer to that school year.^[3][4][5]

In the United States, public schools reported graduation rates that averaged to about 81.4 percent. About 54 percent of all students in the country took the ACT, while 50 percent reported taking the SAT. The average national composite scores for those tests were 20.9 out of a possible 36 for the ACT, and 1498 out of a possible 2400 for the SAT.^[6]

Kentucky schools reported a graduation rate of 86.1 percent during the 2012-2013 school year, second highest among its neighboring states.

In Kentucky, more students took the ACT than the SAT in 2013, earning an average ACT score of 19.6.

Dropout rate

See also: Public high school dropout rates by state for a full comparison of dropout rates by group in all states

The high school event dropout rate indicates the proportion of students who were enrolled at some time during the school year and were expected to be enrolled in grades nine through 12 in the following school year but were not enrolled by October 1 of the following school year. Students who have graduated, transferred to another school, died, moved to another country, or who are out of school due to illness are not considered dropouts. The average public high school event dropout rate for the United States remained constant at 3.3 percent for both school year 2010–2011 and school year 2011–2012. The event dropout rate for Kentucky was lower than the national average at 2.5 percent in the 2010-2011 school year, and 2.5 percent in the 2011-2012 school year.^[7]

Educational choice options

See also: School choice in Kentucky

School choice options in Kentucky included open enrollment policies and some online learning programs. In addition, about 9.24 percent of school-age children in the state attended private schools in the 2011-2012 academic year, and an estimated 2.67 percent were homeschooled in 2012-2013.

Developments

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue (2020)

Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue
Media coverage and commentary
U.S. Supreme Court 2019-2020 term
Blaine Amendment (U.S. Constitution)
Blaine amendments in state constitutions
School choice on the ballot
Education on the ballot

See also: Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue

On June 30, 2020, the U.S. Supreme Court decided Espinoza v. Montana Department of Revenue, which concerned whether the government can exclude religious institutions from student-aid programs. The case related to Article X, Section 6 of the Montana Constitution, also known as Montana’s Blaine Amendment.^[8]

In its 5-4 opinion, the court held that the application of Article X, Section 6 violated the free exercise clause of the U.S. Constitution. The majority held Article X, Section 6 barred religious schools and parents who wished to send their children to those schools from receiving public benefits because of the religious character of the school.^[9]

The case addressed the tension between the free exercise and Establishment clauses of the U.S. Constitution—where one guarantees the right of individuals' free exercise of religion and the other guarantees that the state won't establish a religion—and the intersections of state constitutions with state law and with the U.S. Constitution.

Kentucky is one of the states with a Blaine Amendment.

Education funding and expenditures

See also: Kentucky state budget and finances

Breakdown of expenditures by function in fiscal year 2013
Source: National Association of State Budget Officers

According to the National Association of State Budget Officers (NASBO), states spent an average of 19.8 percent of their total budgets on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. In addition, the United States Census Bureau found that approximately 45.6 percent of the country's school system revenue came from state sources, while about 45.3 percent came from local sources. The remaining portion of school system revenue came from federal sources.^[10][11]

Kentucky spent approximately 19.6 percent of its budget on elementary and secondary education during fiscal year 2013. The state school systems' revenue came primarily from state funds. When compared to its neighboring states, Kentucky reported the highest percentage of its total budget spent on public education. It should be noted that this does not indicate that it spent more overall on education when compared to its neighboring states.

Revenue breakdowns

See also: Public school system revenues in the U.S. to compare all states.

According to the United States Census Bureau, public school system revenues totaled approximately $598 billion in fiscal year 2013.^[11]

In Kentucky, the primary source of school system revenue was state funding, at about $4 billion. Kentucky reported the second lowest total revenue when compared to its neighboring states.

Expenditure breakdowns

See also: Public school system expenditures in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, public school system expenditures totaled approximately $602 billion in fiscal year 2012.^[12]

Public education expenditures in Kentucky totaled approximately $7.4 billion in fiscal year 2012. Kentucky reported the second lowest total expenditures when compared to its neighboring states.

Personnel salaries

See also: Public school teacher salaries in the United States

According to the National Center for Education Statistics, the average national salary for classroom teachers in public elementary and secondary schools declined by 1.3 percent from the 1999-2000 school year to the 2012-2013 school year. During the same period in Kentucky, the average salary increased by 1.2 percent.^[14]

Organizations

State agencies

See also: Kentucky Department of Education

The Kentucky Department of Education is responsible for the state's K-12 public schools. The Commissioner of Education is the chief administrator of the Department of Education. The Commissioner of Education is appointed by and serves at the pleasure of the Kentucky Board of Education. Terry Holliday was appointed to the position in 2009.^[15][16][17]

The Kentucky Board of Education is composed of 12 members, 11 of whom are voting members appointed by the Governor (seven from each of the state's Supreme Court districts and four selected at large). An additional member, the president of the Council on Postsecondary Education, is a non-voting member. Members serve four-year terms.^[18]

Unions

In 2012 the Fordham Institute and Education Reform Now assessed the power and influence of state teacher unions in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Their rankings were based on 37 different variables in five broad areas: resources and membership, involvement in politics, scope of bargaining, state policies and perceived influence. Kentucky ranked 28th overall for union power and influence, or "average," which was in the third of five tiers.^[19]

The main unions related to the Kentucky school system are the Kentucky Education Association (KEA), an affiliate of the National Education Association (NEA), and AFT Kentucky (KAPE), an affiliate of the American Federation of Teachers.^[20]

List of local Kentucky school unions:^[20]

• Kentucky Education Association
• AFT Kentucky
• Jefferson County Teachers Association
• AFT Frankfort
• Jefferson County Association of Educational Support Personnel
• Fayette County Education Association
• AFT Lexington

Government sector lobbying

See also: Kentucky government sector lobbying

The main education government sector lobbying organization is the Kentucky School Boards Association.

Transparency

Kentucky's Open Door provides state spending information, including expenditures on grants, contracts, and public employee salaries.The site can be accessed here.

Studies and reports

Quality Counts 2014

See also: Education Week survey

Education Week, a publication that reports on many education issues throughout the country, began using an evaluation system in 1997 to grade each state on various elements of education performance. This system, called Quality Counts, uses official data on performance from each state to generate report cards for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. The report card in 2014 uses six different categories:

1. Chance for success
2. K-12 achievement
3. Standards, assessments and accountability
4. The teaching profession
5. School finance
6. Transitions and alignment

Each of these six categories had a number of other elements that received individual scores. Those scores were then averaged and used to determine the final score in each category. Every state received two types of scores for each of the six major categories: A numerical score out of 100 and a letter grade based on that score. Education Week used the score for the first category, "chance for success," as the value for ranking each state and the District of Columbia. The average grade received in the entire country was 77.3, or a C+ average. The country's highest average score was in the category of "standards, assessments and accountability" at 85.3, or a B average. The lowest average score was in "K-12 achievement", at 70.2, or a C- average.

Kentucky received a score of 74.4, or a C average in the "chance for success" category. This was below the national average. The state's highest score was in "transitions and alignment" at 92.9, or an A average. The lowest score was in "K-12 achievement" at 70.3, or a C- average. Kentucky's score for "transitions and alignment" matched Tennessee's, at 92.9. The chart below displays the scores of Kentucky and its surrounding states.^[21]

Note: Click on a column heading to sort the data.

State Budget Solutions education study

See also: State spending on education v. academic performance (2012)

State Budget Solutions examined national trends in education from 2009 to 2011, including state-by-state analysis of education spending, graduation rates and average ACT scores. The study showed that the states that spent the most did not have the highest average ACT test scores, nor did they have the highest average graduation rates. A summary of the study is available here. The full report can be accessed here.

School districts

See also: School board elections portal

District types

Kentucky is made up of county school districts and independent school districts. In county school districts, members are elected from divisions, while independent school districts members are elected at large.^[22][23]

School board composition

School board members are elected by residents of the school district. School boards in Kentucky are composed of five members that serve four-year terms. The exception is Jefferson County Public Schools, which has seven members. Elections are held in even-numbered years and the terms are staggered so that the terms of not more than three members of a local board expire at the same time. Any vacancy on the board must be filled by the commissioner of education within 90 days after the vacancy occurs.^[22]

Term limits

Kentucky does not impose statewide term limits on school board members.^[24]

Elections

See also: Kentucky school board elections, 2024

The table below contains links to all school board elections covered by Ballotpedia in 2024 in this state. This list may not include all school districts with elections in 2024. Ballotpedia's coverage includes all school districts in the 100 largest cities by population and the 200 largest school districts by student enrollment.

Editor's note: Some school districts choose to cancel the primary election, or both the primary and general election, if the number of candidates who filed does not meet a certain threshold. The table below does not reflect which primary or general elections were canceled. Please click through to each school district's page for more information.

Path to the ballot

According to Kentucky state law, the following qualifications are necessary to become a school board member:^[22]

• Be at least 24 years old.
• Have been a citizen of Kentucky for at least three years preceding her election and be a voter of the district she is elected to represent.
• Have completed at least the 12th grade, been issued a GED certificate or been elected prior to July 14, 1990 with no lapse in service.
• Have signed an affidavit under penalty of perjury certifying completion of the 12th grade or the equivalent as determined by passage of the 12th-grade equivalency examination regulated by the state board of education, and have filed an affidavit with the nominating petition.
• Does not hold a state office requiring the constitutional oath and is not a member of the General Assembly.
• Does not hold or discharge the duties of any civil or political office, deputyship, or agency under city or county government.
• Is not, at the time of his election, directly or indirectly involved in the sale to the board of anything, including services, paid for with school funds.
• Has not been removed from a board of education for cause.
• Does not have a father, mother, brother, sister, husband, wife, son, daughter, aunt, uncle, son-in-law or daughter-in-law employed by the school district. This does not apply to a board member holding office on July 13, 1990 whose relative was not initially hired by the district during the board member’s tenure.

Recent legislation

The following is a list of recent education bills that have been introduced in or passed by the Kentucky state legislature. To learn more about each of these bills, click the bill title. This information is provided by BillTrack50 and LegiScan.

Note: Due to the nature of the sorting process used to generate this list, some results may not be relevant to the topic. If no bills are displayed below, no legislation pertaining to this topic has been introduced in the legislature recently.

Education ballot measures

See also: Education on the ballot and List of Kentucky ballot measures

Ballotpedia has tracked the following statewide ballot measures relating to education.

1. Kentucky Poll Tax and Separate Schools, Amendment 1 (1996)
2. Kentucky Establishes a State Board of Education, Amendment 1 (1986)
3. Kentucky 1986 ballot measures
4. Kentucky Distribution and Use of School Fund, Referendum (1953)
5. Kentucky Appropriated School Funds Referendum (1949)
6. Kentucky Equalization Fund Referendum (1941)
7. Kentucky Commissioner of Education Referendum (1957)
8. Kentucky Allow State Funding for Non-Public Education Amendment (2024)

In the news

The link below is to the most recent stories in a Google news search for the terms Kentucky education policy. These results are automatically generated from Google. Ballotpedia does not curate or endorse these articles.

See also

• Historical public education information in Kentucky
• Kentucky state budget and finances
• Kentucky Department of Education
• List of school districts in Kentucky
• Kentucky
• Education Policy in the U.S.

External link

• Kentucky Board of Education

Footnotes

	v • e State of Kentucky Frankfort (capital)
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