This page has basic statistical information about Kentucky's schools, including number of schools, number of teachers and students, statewide education funding and other items.
Kentucky's public school system is directed by state statutes and regulations. All numbers listed are for the 2020-2021 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 – 638,236 (2020-2021 SRC data below)
Ethnicity of public-school students –
White (Non-Hispanic)– 475,453
African American – 68,784
Hispanic – 50,554
Asian – 12,295
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 908
Native American – 834 (SRC calls this demographic American Indian OR Alaska Native)
Two or More Races – 29,545
Pre-kindergarten (preschool) children enrolled in state-funded programs – 21,351 (Source: KDE 2019-2020 Fall/Spring Counts)
Number of students enrolled in Head Start programs – 15,733
Number of exceptional children ages 3-5 –
2019-2020:18,564
2018-2019: 18,232
2017-2018: 18,070
2020-2021: 15,151
-
Number of exceptional children ages 6-21 –
2019-2020: 90,041
2018-2019: 87,927
2017-2018: 86,200
2020-2021: 90,558
Students qualifying for Gifted & Talented services –
2020-2021
- Primary Talent Pool (K-3): 22,556
- Formal ID (grades 4-12): 64,390
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) – 60.5%
Students receiving immigrant services – 6,842
Number of students served by FRYSCs – 475,565
Number of students served in Extended School Services programs during the school year
– 103,648
Students receiving English Language Services – 34,086
Languages, other than English, spoken at home by English Language Services students –
Total unique languages – 144
Total Students Home Language Spanish – 20,208
Total Students Home Language Arabic – 1,553
Total Students Home Language Somali – 941
Total Students Home Language Swahili – 1,926
Total Students Home Language Nepali – 797
Total Students Home Language Japanese – 337
Total Students Home Language Other – 7,974
Students to modern high-performance computers ratio – 0.67:1 (One computer to every .67 students)
Students with internet access beyond the school campus – 98%
Number of homeschooled students – 27,073
(Data is self-reported by the school districts via the Declaration of
Participation collection.)
State dropout rate –
7th – 12th grade Dropout Rate
2019-2020: 1.1
2018-2019: 1.3
2017-2018: 1.4
2016-2017: 1.3
9th – 12th grade Dropout Rate
2019-2020: 1.4
2018-2019: 1.8
2017-2018: 2.0
2016-2017: 1.9
State retention rate – 1.2% grades 4-12
State attendance rate (2018-2019) – 94.2% (2018-2019 is the most recent data. 2019-2020 and 2020-2021
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
2020-2021: 90.2
5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
2019-2020: 92.0
2018-2019: 91.6
2017-2018: 91.3
2020-2021: 92.3
TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS/STAFF
Number of public school teachers – teachers (2019-2020 SRC)
White – 40,399
Minority – 2,217
Male – 9,575
Female – 32,951
Number of educators who hold Kentucky-issued certifications – 42,526 FTE (rounding
up)
– 10,502 (as of 9/15/22)
Number of classified staff – 45,439 (as of 9/15/22)
Number of Community Education directors – 93
Average years teaching experience (EPSB) – 12.1
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teachers – 4,187 (includes
administrators) – ranks 8th
Kentucky's rank in the number of new nationally certified teachers – 85 new (ranks 8th) ;
212 renewals (ranks 7th)
LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION
Number of local school board seats – 857
Gender breakdown of local school board members
Racial breakdown of local school board members
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 - 881
*Data for school year 2020-2021 was affected by school district closures as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Digital citizenship – 95% 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.
Percentage of networked schools with high-speed fiber internet access, email and direct dial-in/out telephone access – 100%
Source for Online/blended courses
Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 21,578
Low-income Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 5,256
Number of Advanced Placement (AP) exams with scores of 3 or higher – 10,734
List of available AP courses and exams could be found at Information from
the College Board.
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 2021-2022 - 280
Source: PSD data as of 9/15/21, count includes superintendents, assistant superintendents and deputy associate superintendents
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 - 171
- Half day - 0
- Both – 0
Career and Technical Schools –
- Locally operated – 43
State operated – 52
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 – 1,145
Number of alternative SBDM models – 19
Parents serving on SBDM councils – 2,534
Number of school districts served by Community Education programs – 85
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 – 1,111
Number of public schools operating schoolwide Title I programs (those that serve all students in a school) – 913
Number of Title I targeted assistance programs – 7
Districts receiving Title III English Language Services funding – 70
Districts receiving Title III immigrant funding – 14
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 (2021-22) – 9,488
Number of licensed school bus drivers – 8,795
BUDGETS
Average teacher salary – $55,016 (2021-22)
Pre-kindergarten state budget – $84,481,100
Total SEEK budget – $2,949,696,700 (2021-22)
Total P-12 state education budget - $5,087,565,600
Total P-12 federal education revenue – $1,349,096,367
Total P-12 local education revenue – 3,118,831,360 (2021-22)
Gifted & Talented state budget – $6,208,400
Title I, Part A funding – $255,488,273
Title III funding for immigrant services – $109,431
Title III funding for English learners-English Language services - $4,049,969
Funds allocated for Extended School Services programs –
$23,916,300
Average per-pupil current expense spending – $15,067