Kentucky's public school system is directed by state statutes and regulations. All numbers listed are for the 2019-2020 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 – 647,987 (2019-2020 SRC data below)
Ethnicity of public-school students –
White (Non-Hispanic)– 487,725 (75.3%)
African American – 68,799 (10.6%)
Hispanic – 49,201 (7.6%)
Asian – 12,235
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 893
Native American – 811 (SRC calls this demographic American Indian OR Alaska Native)
Two or More Races – 28,321
Pre-kindergarten (preschool) children enrolled in state-funded programs – 21,351 (Source: KDE 2019-2020 Fall/Spring Counts)
Number of exceptional children ages 3-5 –
2019-2020:18,564
2018-2019: 18,232
2017-2018: 18,070
Number of exceptional children ages 6-21 –
2019-2020: 90,041
2018-2019: 87,927
2017-2018: 86,200
Students qualifying for Gifted & Talented services –
2019-2020
Primary Talent Pool (K-3): 27,408
Formal ID (grades 4-12): 68,882
2018-2019
- Primary Talent Pool (K-3): 26,448
- Formal ID (grades 4-12): 71,115
2017-2018
- 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) – 60.8%
Students receiving immigrant services – 7,691
Number of students served by FRYSCs – 637,724 (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
– 102484
Students receiving English Language Services – 34,816
Languages, other than English, spoken at home by English Language Services students –
Total unique languages – 125
Total Students Home Language Spanish – 20,767
Total Students Home Language Arabic – 1,624
Total Students Home Language Somali – 968
Total Students Home Language Swahili – 1,866
Total Students Home Language Nepali – 785
Total Students Home Language Japanese – 403
Total Students Home Language Other – 8,403
Students to modern high-performance computers ratio – 0.78:1 (One computer to every .78 students)
Students with internet access beyond the school campus – 98%
Number of homeschooled students – 23,008
State dropout rate –
7th – 12th grade Dropout Rate
2018-2019: 1.3
2017-2018: 1.4
2016-2017: 1.3
9th – 12th grade Dropout Rate
2018-2019: 1.8
2017-2018: 2.0
2016-2017: 1.9
State retention rate – 1.3% grades 4-12
State attendance rate (2018-2019) – 94.2% (2018-2019 is the most recent data. 2019-2020 data is not available due to COVID-19)
State graduation rate –
4-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
2019-2020: 91.1
2018-2019: 90.6
2017-2018: 90.3
5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
2019-2020: 92.0
2018-2019: 91.6
TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS/STAFF
Number of public school teachers – 42,304 teachers (2019-2020 SRC)
White – 40,241
Minority – 2,063
Male – 9,480
Female – 32,824
Number of educators who hold Kentucky-issued certifications –
212,447
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 – 857
NOTE: Jefferson
County has seven board members because of its size. All other districts have five-members board.
Gender breakdown of local school board members
Male – 382
Female 351
Unknown – 124
Racial breakdown of local school board members
NOTE: All the Local Boards of Education data is for FY 2020 - 2021
SCHOOL PROGRAMS/COURSES
Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) participation – More than 60,000 students in 751 schools representing 139 districts.
Computer Science and IT Academy student professional certifications for technology-related areas - 398
*Data for school year 2019-2020 was affected by school district closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital citizenship – 96% of districts report having a strategic plan for teaching digital citizenship to students
Online/blended courses for expanded learning opportunities – 94% of school districts offer online or blended course learning opportunities to students.
Source for Online/blended courses
Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 26,323
Low-income Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 7,017
Number of Advanced Placement (AP) exams with scores of 3 or higher – 15,267
SCHOOLS/SCHOOL DISTRICTS
Number
of school districts – 171 (Does not include Kentucky School for the Blind and Kentucky School for the Deaf but include Kentucky Tech. System districts)
Number of Superintendents - (34 female superintendents; 136 male;
4 minority) Two districts did not report
superintendents during the 2020 data collection
Number of public schools – 1,477
(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 - 163
- Half day - 2
- Both – 6
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 – 1,141
Number of alternative SBDM models – 17
Parents serving on SBDM councils – 2,474
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 – 919
Number of public schools operating schoolwide Title I programs (those that serve all students in a school) – 911
Number of Title I targeted assistance programs – 8
Districts receiving Title III English Language Services funding – 69
Districts receiving Title III immigrant funding – 12
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 – 9,520 ( as of 12/14/2020)
Number of licensed school bus drivers – 8,955 (as of 12/14/2020)
BUDGETS
Average per-pupil current expense spending – $14,331
Average teacher salary – $54,372
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) – $5,088,677,500
Total P-12 federal education revenue – $969,030,300
Total P-12 local education revenue – $2,950,117,448
Gifted & Talented state budget – $6,208,400 (source: KDE 2020-2021)
Title I, Part A funding – $ 231,667,308
Title III funding for immigrant services – $77,868.50
Title III funding for English learners-English Language services – $3,704,351.54
Funds allocated for Extended School Services programs – $23,916,300 (source: KDE 2020-2021)