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 2025-2026 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 2025 Kentucky District Data Profiles
STUDENTS
Number of public-school students – 624,645 (2025-2026 SRC data below)
Ethnicity of public-school students –
White (Non-Hispanic)– 439,925
African American – 67,929
Hispanic – 65,538
Asian – 13,728
Hawaiian/Pacific Islander – 1,254
Native American – 810 (SRC calls this demographic American Indian OR Alaska Native)
Two or More Races – 35,461
Number of homeschooled students – 39,793 (2025-2026)
Pre-kindergarten (preschool) children enrolled in state-funded programs – 20,243
Number of students enrolled in Head Start programs –
Number of exceptional children ages 3-5 –
- 2018-2019: 18,232
2017-2018: 18,070
2019-2020:18,564
2020-2021: 15,151
2022-2023: 16,758
-
Number of exceptional children ages 6-21 –
- 2018-2019: 87,927
2017-2018: 86,200
2019-2020: 90,041
2020-2021: 90,558
2022-2023: 92,991
Students qualifying for Gifted & Talented services –
2022-2023
- Primary Talent Pool (K-3): 22,570
- Formal ID (grades 4-12): 64,376
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
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) – 60.2%
Students receiving immigrant services – 9,699
Number of students served by FRYSCs – 613,601
Number of students served in Extended School Services programs during the school year
– 107,038
Students receiving English Learner Services – 51,429
Languages, other than English, spoken at home by English Language Services students –
Total unique languages – 169
Total Students Home Language Spanish – 32,813
- Total Students Home Language Swahili – 2,984
- Total Students Home Language Arabic - 1,866
- Total Students Home Langauge Kinyarwanda - 1,673
Total Students Home Language Nepali – 971
Total Students Home Language Other – 11,122
Students to modern high-performance computers ratio – 0.61:1 (One computer to every .67 students)
Students with internet access beyond the school campus – 98.5%
Number of homeschooled students – 39,545
(Data is self-reported by the school districts via the Declaration of
Participation collection.)
State dropout rate –
7th – 12th grade Dropout Rate
2022-2023: 1.3%
2019-2020: 1.1%
2018-2019: 1.3%
2017-2018: 1.4%
2016-2017: 1.3%
9th – 12th grade Dropout Rate
2022-2023: 1.8%
2019-2020: 1.4%
2018-2019: 1.8%
2017-2018: 2.0%
2016-2017: 1.9%
State retention rate – 1.7% grades 4-12
State attendance rate – 91.9%
State graduation rate –
4-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
2022-2023:
91.4%2020-2021: 90.2%
2019-2020: 91.1%
2018-2019: 90.6%
2017-2018: 90.3%
5-Year Cohort Graduation Rate
2022-2023: 92.5%2020-2021: 92.3%
2019-2020: 92.0%
2018-2019: 91.6%
2017-2018: 91.3%
TEACHERS/ADMINISTRATORS/STAFF
– 43,169
White – 40,881
Minority – 2,288
Male – 9,840
Female – 33,329
– 43117 FTE (rounding
up)
Number of employed certified staff, minus teachers – 9,665
Number of classified staff – 45,970
Number of Community Education directors – 93
Average years teaching experience (EPSB) – 12.06
National Board for Professional Teaching Standards certified teachers – 4,386
Kentucky's rank in the number of new nationally certified teachers – 9th in nation
LOCAL BOARDS OF EDUCATION
Number of local school board seats – NOTE: 171 districts have five-member boards; Jefferson County has seven because of its size
Gender breakdown of local school board members
Male – 349
Female - 326
Unknown - 180
Racial breakdown of local school board members
White – 623
African American – 39
Asian- 3
Hispanic- 1
Other – 3
Unknown - 186
SCHOOL PROGRAMS/COURSES
Student Technology Leadership Program (STLP) participation – more than 60,000 students participated, includes 749 schools and 129 districts
Computer Science and IT Academy student professional certifications for technology-related areas - 1051
Digital citizenship – 97%
Online/blended courses for expanded learning opportunities – 87% Source for Online/blended courses
Percentage of networked schools with high-speed fiber internet access, email and direct dial-in/out telephone access – 100%
Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 39,467
Low-income Advanced Placement (AP) exams – 7706
Number of Advanced Placement (AP) exams with scores of 3 or higher – 21,329
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 -
Number of public schools – 1,484
(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 – 223
State operated – 51
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 – 1,137
Number of alternative SBDM models – 4
Parents serving on SBDM councils – 2,572
Number of school districts served by Community Education programs – 89
Number of family resource/youth services centers (FRYSC) – 955
Number of schools served by FRYSCs – 1,190
Number of public schools operating federal Title I programs – 954
Number of public schools operating schoolwide Title I programs (those that serve all students in a school) – 949
Number of Title I targeted assistance programs – 5
Districts receiving Title III English Language Services funding – 75
Districts receiving Title III immigrant funding – 10
SCHOOL BUSES
Number of school buses (2025) – 9,216
Number of licensed school bus drivers (2025) – 6,139
BUDGETS
$18,522
Average teacher salary –
$56,736 Pre-kindergarten state budget –
$84,481,100 source for this data is LRC, HB 1 2022 Regular Session (House Bill 1) Total SEEK budget –
$2,422,156,5520
Total P-12 state education budget -
$5,540,334,874Total P-12 federal education revenue – $
1,992,552,868 Total P-12 local education revenue – $3,792,393,665
Gifted & Talented state budget –
Title I, Part A funding – $284,653,005
Title III funding for immigrant services –
$275,767 Title III funding for English learners-English Language services - $5,239,556Funds allocated for Extended School Services programs – $23,407,974.00
Myles Young
Office of the Commissioner
Division of Communications
300 Sower Blvd., 5th Floor
Frankfort, KY 40601
(502) 564-2000
myles.young@education.ky.gov