Kentucky
1,527 Schools174 Districts658K Students
$16,719
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
+17% nat'l61.9%
Free Lunch Rate
+9.7pp vs nat'l93.3%
Graduation Rate
+6.8pp vs nat'l40/100
Opportunity Score
LimitedAbout Kentucky Public Schools
Kentucky's 1990 Kentucky Education Reform Act (KERA) is widely considered one of the most comprehensive state-level education reforms in US history — triggered by a state Supreme Court ruling that declared the entire state school system unconstitutional. KERA overhauled funding, created early childhood programs, established school-based decision councils, and launched a new accountability system. The state has continued to build on that foundation, and Kentucky's performance on NAEP has generally outpaced what its demographic and income profile would predict. Fayette County (Lexington) and Jefferson County (Louisville) anchor the state's urban education landscape. Kentucky recently adopted school choice legislation and uses the K-PREP and KSA assessment systems.
Largest District
Jefferson County
95K students
Highest Per-Pupil
Kentucky School for the Deaf District
$172,297/student
Top Graduation Rate
Fort Thomas Independent
99.5% grad rate
School Districts (174)
Per-pupil spending in Kentucky ranges from $11,798 to $172,297 across districts with available data. State avg: $16,719.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | ||||||
| Jefferson County | 168 | 95K | $19,590↑17% | 84.8%↓9% | 59.5% | 35 |
| Fayette County | 80 | 41K | $17,525 | 87.6%↓6% | 50.0%↓19% | 37 |
| Boone County | 27 | 20K | $14,519↓13% | 96.5% | 39.8%↓36% | 36 |
| Warren County | 34 | 18K | $13,452↓20% | 97.5% | 60.9% | 46 |
| Hardin County | 26 | 15K | $13,705↓18% | 92.3% | 50.3%↓19% | 40 |
| Kenton County | 22 | 14K | $13,917↓17% | 94.6% | 44.5%↓28% | 40 |
| Bullitt County | 25 | 13K | $14,145↓15% | 92.4% | 48.2%↓22% | 41 |
| Oldham County | 22 | 12K | $13,338↓20% | 97.1% | 22.5%↓64% | 44 |
| Madison County | 21 | 11K | $15,043↓10% | 93.4% | 52.6%↓15% | — |
| Daviess County | 23 | 11K | $16,199 | 94.3% | 55.6%↓10% | 43 |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| Scott County | 17 | 9,797 | $12,466↓25% | 92.0% | 43.8%↓29% | 34 |
| Laurel County | 19 | 8,801 | $12,285↓27% | 87.7%↓6% | 67.3%↑9% | 36 |
| Jessamine County | 14 | 8,392 | $15,150↓9% | 92.7% | 52.6%↓15% | 36 |
| Christian County | 19 | 8,204 | $13,900↓17% | 88.0%↓6% | 68.2%↑10% | 41 |
| Pulaski County | 14 | 8,115 | $12,769↓24% | 98.0%↑5% | 66.2%↑7% | 37 |
| Pike County | 20 | 7,787 | $14,759↓12% | 95.7% | 72.4%↑17% | 39 |
| McCracken County | 14 | 6,968 | $14,612↓13% | 95.7% | 51.6%↓17% | 46 |
| Henderson County | 13 | 6,955 | $15,873↓5% | 92.4% | 50.6%↓18% | 38 |
| Shelby County | 14 | 6,935 | $16,516 | 91.1% | 49.8%↓20% | 45 |
| Hopkins County | 19 | 6,358 | $13,966↓16% | 92.9% | 56.8%↓8% | 46 |
| Franklin County | 16 | 6,126 | $14,246↓15% | 91.8% | 58.4%↓6% | 35 |
| Floyd County | 14 | 5,563 | $15,413↓8% | 84.9%↓9% | 77.7%↑25% | 38 |
| Clark County | 9 | 5,359 | $15,007↓10% | 96.2% | 60.5% | 38 |
| Barren County | 11 | 5,224 | $15,161↓9% | 91.7% | 55.3%↓11% | 41 |
| Campbell County | 10 | 5,195 | $13,970↓16% | 97.0% | 43.4%↓30% | 49 |
| Owensboro Independent | 13 | 5,040 | $17,055 | 88.7% | 68.2%↑10% | 44 |
| Meade County | 10 | 4,966 | $11,983↓28% | 94.4% | 50.2%↓19% | 41 |
| Marshall County | 12 | 4,495 | $13,761↓18% | 94.6% | 51.5%↓17% | — |
| Muhlenberg County | 11 | 4,486 | $15,137↓9% | 85.4%↓8% | 61.6% | 44 |
| Montgomery County | 8 | 4,472 | $12,862↓23% | 95.6% | 55.5%↓10% | 40 |
| Nelson County | 11 | 4,420 | $13,437↓20% | 93.9% | 43.6%↓30% | 40 |
| Bowling Green Independent | 10 | 4,376 | $17,986↑8% | 99.3%↑6% | 65.9%↑6% | 46 |
| Whitley County | 11 | 4,336 | $15,297↓9% | 95.5% | 77.9%↑26% | 34 |
| Carter County | 12 | 4,137 | $12,806↓23% | 96.8% | 62.9% | 38 |
| Grayson County | 9 | 4,039 | $13,023↓22% | 90.0% | 64.0% | 39 |
| Woodford County | 7 | 4,010 | $12,896↓23% | 98.0%↑5% | 47.1%↓24% | 36 |
| Graves County | 10 | 3,977 | $12,307↓26% | 94.5% | 57.0%↓8% | 47 |
| Ohio County | 10 | 3,910 | $13,923↓17% | 97.5% | 64.4% | 41 |
| Anderson County | 7 | 3,752 | $11,798↓29% | 98.0%↑5% | 42.9%↓31% | 38 |
| Covington Independent | 11 | 3,665 | $17,612↑5% | 87.3%↓6% | 82.3%↑33% | 34 |
| Perry County | 10 | 3,593 | $15,620↓7% | 95.8% | 69.7%↑13% | 37 |
| Grant County | 6 | 3,457 | $13,511↓19% | 92.0% | 67.9%↑10% | — |
| Harlan County | 11 | 3,442 | $15,949 | 96.0% | 83.5%↑35% | 37 |
| Logan County | 8 | 3,430 | $14,216↓15% | 92.0% | 53.1%↓14% | 39 |
| Rowan County | 10 | 3,429 | $13,903↓17% | 96.6% | 63.5% | 35 |
| Lincoln County | 7 | 3,416 | $14,281↓15% | 87.0%↓7% | 67.5%↑9% | 39 |
| Spencer County | 6 | 3,369 | $11,855↓29% | 97.9% | 39.8%↓36% | 44 |
| Johnson County | 11 | 3,344 | $18,044↑8% | 92.4% | 64.0% | 43 |
| Ashland Independent | 9 | 3,261 | $12,871↓23% | 95.0% | 64.4% | 38 |
| Marion County | 8 | 3,252 | $14,666↓12% | 95.3% | 61.3% | 44 |
Showing 50 of 174
Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.