Kentucky's public school system is directed by state statutes and regulations. All numbers listed are for the 2018-2019 school year unless otherwise noted.
For national statistics, visit the National Center for Education Statistics.
The Legislative Research Commission's Office of Education Accountability produces 2018 Kentucky District Data Profiles.
STUDENTS
Number of public school students – 648,369
Ethnicity of public school students –
- White – 76.8%
- African American – 10.5%
- Hispanic – 6.8%
- Asian – 1.8%
- Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 0.1%
- Native American – 0.1%
- Two or More Races – 3.9%
Pre-kindergarten (preschool) children enrolled in state-funded programs – 21,649 (source: KDE December 1, 2019 Count, eligible
3- and 4-year-olds)
Number of students enrolled in Head Start programs – 13,875 (source: Kentucky Center for Statistics)
Number of exceptional children ages 3-5 –
2017-2018: 18,070
2018-2019: 18,232
Number of exceptional children ages 6-21 –
2017-2018: 86,200
2018-2019: 87,927
Students qualifying for Gifted & Talented
services (2018-2019 School Report Card data) –
- Primary Talent Pool (K-3): 26,448
- Formal ID (grades 4-12): 71,115
Students qualifying for Gifted & Talented services (2017-2018 School Report Card data) –
- Primary Talent Pool (K-3): 26,729
- Formal ID (grades 4-12): 71,305
Percent of individuals eligible for free or reduced-price meals in public schools – K-12 students reported to KDE as of the last day of enrollment in the school year) – 60.70% (2018-2019)
Student Transitions (2018-2019) –
- College 51.5%
- Technical Training 4.9%
- Military 2.9%
- Working 21.3%
- Other 11.2%
Students receiving immigrant services – 8,089
Number of students served by FRYSCs – 637,640 (this is the total enrollment of schools served by FRYSC, including preschool and Head Start students located in school served by FRYSC)
Number of students served in Extended School Services programs during the school year – 131,214 (2018-2019)
Students receiving English Language Services – 28,211
Languages, other than English, spoken at home by English Language Services students –
- Total unique languages – 143
- Total Students Home Language Spanish – 18,304
- Total Students Home Language Arabic – 1,486
- Total Students Home Language Somali – 942
- Total Students Home Language Swahili – 1,381
- Total Students Home Language Nepali – 695
- Total Students Home Language Japanese – 439
- Total Students Home Language Other – 8,506
Students to modern high-performance computers ratio – 0.96:1 (One computer to every .96 students)
Students with internet access at home – 84-91%
Number of homeschooled students – approximately 19,634 (Number of home schools not collected)
State dropout rate (2018-2019) – 1.4%
State retention rate (2018-2019) – 1.3% grades 4-12
State attendance rate (2018-2019) – 94.2%
State graduation rate – (2018-
2019) - 91.1%
TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS/STAFF
Number of public school teachers – 42,024 teachers
- White – 95.3%
- Minority – 4.8%
- Male – 22.4%
- Female – 77.6%
Number of educators who hold Kentucky-issued certifications –
212,228
Number of employed certified staff, minus teachers – 8,824
Number of classified staff – 46,455
Number of Community Education directors – 93
Average years teaching experience (EPSB) –11.92
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teachers – 4,007
Kentucky's rank in the number of new nationally certified teachers – 5th
LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION
Number of local school board seats – 862
NOTE: 171 districts have five-member boards; Jefferson
County has seven because of its size.
Gender breakdown of local school board members
NOTE: 29 either did not indicate gender or were elected/appointed since last demographic survey in 2018. There were two vacancies as of May 6, 2020.
Racial breakdown of local school board members
NOTE: The 29 board members who did not list a gender aren’t included in these number, neither are the two local school board member vacancies listed on May 6, 2020SCHOOL PROGRAMS/COURSES
Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) participation –
More than 55,000 students in 751 schools representing 139 districts
Imagine Academy student professional certifications for technology-related areas – This is a new baseline year for a brand new Computer Science and IT Academy – no data this year
Digital citizenship – 96% of districts report having a strategic plan for teaching digital citizenship to students
Online/blended courses for expanded learning opportunities –
Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 50,506
Low-income Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 8,341
Number of Advanced Placement (AP) exams with scores of 3 or higher – 16,048
SCHOOLS/SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Number
of school districts – 171 (34 female superintendents; 136 male;
4 minority) Two districts did not report
superintendents during the 2020 data collection
Number of public schools – 1,466
(Does not include Ft. Campbell and Ft. Knox dependent districts, alternative programs or the Kentucky School for the Deaf and the Kentucky School for the Blind)
Types of kindergarten programs offered by school districts –
- Full day - 176
- Half day - 4
- Both – 5
Career and Technical Schools –
- Locally operated – 42
State operated – 53
Length of school year – 185 days (includes minimum 170 instructional days (1,062 hours), four professional development days, four holidays, and two planning days)
Number of schools served by councils – 1,129
Number of alternative SBDM models – 23
Parents serving on SBDM councils – 2,473
Number of school districts served by Community Education programs – 93
Number of family resource/youth services centers (FRYSC) – 856
Number of schools served by FRYSCs – approximately 1,200
Number of public schools operating federal Title I programs – 916
Number of public schools operating schoolwide Title I programs (those that serve all students in a school) – 903
Number of Title I targeted assistance programs – 13
Districts receiving Title III English Language Services funding – 34 stand-alone districts and 11 consortium programs that include 37 districts
Districts receiving Title III immigrant funding – 3
Percentage of networked schools with high-speed fiber internet access, email and direct dial-in/out telephone access – 100%
SCHOOL BUSES
Number of school buses – 9,726 (as of 5/5/2020)
Number of licensed school bus drivers – 9,758 (as of 5/5/2020)
BUDGETS
Average per-pupil current expense spending – $14,063
Average teacher salary – $53,926
Pre-kindergarten state budget – $84,481,100 (source: KDE 2020-2021)
Total SEEK budget – $2,973,696,700 (2020-2021)
Total P-12 state education budget (includes general, federal and restricted fund sources) – $5,081,677,452
Total P-12 federal education revenue – $948,493,100
Total P-12 local education revenue – $2,900,885,932 (2018-2019)
Gifted & Talented state budget – $6.2 million per fiscal year; $12.4 million for the biennium
Title I, Part A funding – $218,073,653
Title III funding for immigrant services –
- $153,056 was reserved for immigrant allocations for districts who experienced a significant increase
- $79,709 was awarded to the three districts who qualified for funding
Title III funding for English learners-English Language services – $3,482,050
Funds allocated for Extended School Services programs – $23,407,974.00