National Rankings - Kentucky
When rankings of states in the area of public education are discussed, Kentucky is often noted as being ranked near the bottom overall. That is misleading.
While there are no credible overall rankings of states in P-12 education, there are rankings based on a number of specific variables.
(Please note that these rankings do not reflect current year data, but rather the most recent year available. Information for these rankings was gathered from the National Education Association and the National Center for Education Statistics.)
NEA National Rankings - Kentucky (2005-06)
Number of public school students: 26th
Number of public school teachers: 28th
Pupil-teacher ratio: 16th
Per-pupil expenditures: 30th
Average teacher salary: 33rd
Percentage of public school revenues from local sources: 39th
Percentage of public school revenues from state sources: 12th
Percentage of public school revenues from federal sources: 12th
Per-capita spending on education: 51st [based on 2003-04 figures]
NCES National Rankings -- Kentucky
Percentage of high school dropouts: 24th highest of 46 states reporting (2003-04)
Percentage of freshmen who graduate from high school: 32nd (2003-04)
Percentage of student ethnicity: (2004-05)
- Native American: 43rd
- Asian/Pacific Islander: 48th
- Black/African American: 26th
- Hispanic: 46th
- White: 7th
Percentage of students eligible for free or reduced-price meals: 10th (2001-02)
Percentage of student schools served by Title I: 11th (2003-04)
Percentage of teachers who hold master's degrees: 6th (2003-04)
NAEP
The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is also known as "The Nation's Report Card." NAEP has been conducting assessments since 1969. NAEP's 2007 math and reading assessments showed that Kentucky's 8th-graders made progress from 1998 to 2007 in those subjects.
Kentucky 4th-grade readers started out two points below the national average in 1992, equaled the national average in 1994, and moved three points above it in 1998. In 2007, the score was 222, two points higher than the national average.
In math, Kentucky's 4th-graders' average score was 235 in 2007, four points below the national average. For Kentucky 8th-graders, the average score was 279, one point below the national average.
NAEP also assesses science, with the most recent administration in 2005. That year, Kentucky's 8th-graders' average score of 153 was seven points above the national average. Kentucky 4th-graders scored an average of 158 in science, nine points above the national average. From 2000 to 2005, Kentucky was one of nine states or jurisdictions that had a significant score increase in science at the 4th-grade level, and one of eleven that had a significant score increase at the 8th-grade level.
NAEP assessments follow the subject area frameworks developed by the National Assessment Governing Board and use the latest advances in assessment methodology. NAEP assessments include multiple-choice and constructed-response questions. NAEP does not report scores for individual students or schools.
NAEP bases its results on a sample of students and provides data at the state and national level. States and districts receiving Title 1 funds are required to participate in state NAEP in reading and mathematics at grades 4 and 8 every two years. State participation in other state NAEP subjects (science and writing) remains voluntary.
To learn more about Kentucky's Progress, visit the State Profile for Kentucky on the National Center for Education Statistics Web site.
Education Week - "Quality Counts"
For its 11th annual “Quality Counts” report, Education Week tracked state efforts to create seamless education systems from early childhood through the world of work.
This report differs in scope and content from previous “Quality Counts” reports. This edition does not include the rankings or grading that were available in previous reports. States are ranked on a Chance for Success index, which is based on 13 indicators that highlight whether children get off to a good start, are successful in P-12 education and whether they hit key benchmarks as adults.
Kentucky lost 11 points on the index, and its rank among the 50 states and the District of Columbia was 41st. The top-performing five states were Virginia, Connecticut, Minnesota, New Jersey and Maryland. The bottom five were Tennessee, Texas, Arizona, Louisiana and New Mexico.
Kentucky did receive mention for being one of only seven states that enrolled 20% or more of 3- and 4-year-olds in state-financed preschool programs. And, Kentucky was one of 11 states to establish a definition for college readiness, based on courses taken in high school.
Technology
Kentucky was tied for fifth in the nation in the overall technology grade given by the 2007 “Technology Counts” and was one of two states identified as the best at integrating technology into curriculum and classrooms. Kentucky received an A- in the category of Use of Technology and an A in Capacity to Use. The state’s Access to Technology grade was a C, and this is primarily due to the age of the workstations in our schools. The grade next year may improve because of the Instructional Device Upgrade (IDU) project and other initiatives.