Kentucky Education Reform Act

Education in Kentucky includes elementary school (kindergarten through fifth grade in most areas), middle school (or junior high, sixth grade through eighth grade in most locations), high school (ninth through twelfth grade in most locations), and postsecondary institutions. Most Kentucky schools and colleges are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).

Education in Kentucky suffers from the same negative stigma as many other Southern states. Some statistics, such as ranking 47th in the nation in percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree or the 1997 estimate that 40% of working age adults had "low literacy skill levels...likely to impede their personal advancement," seem to justify the stereotype. Other reports, such as ranking 14th in educational affordability, 25th in K-12 attrition, and being named the 31st smartest state using a formula by Morgan Quitno Press (ahead of western states like California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico) suggest that the stereotype may be overblown. In fact, Lexington, Kentucky ranks 10th among US cities in percent of population with college degree or higher.

Whatever the case, due to a number of reforms beginning in 1990, most studies agree that Kentucky is making progress in the area of education. For example, Kentucky's population "lacking basic prose literacy skills" was 19% in 1992 with only five states having a higher percentage. However, by 2003, the percentage of Kentucky's population that lacked basic literary skills fell to 12% with twenty-one other states having higher rates.

The Kentucky Board of Education is responsible for the development, coordination, and implementation of K-12 education in each of the commonwealth's 173 school districts. There are 1,233 public schools in Kentucky. As of 2011-2012, Kentucky's public schools enrolled 675,530 students. As of 2010-11, 16,493 students were home-schooled.

For the 2011 to 2012 school year, there were 43,767 public school teachers.

In order to motivate Kentucky high schoolers to take a more demanding curriculum, the Kentucky Board of Education began awarding the Commonwealth Diploma in 1987. The Commonwealth curriculum required that the student take four Advanced Placement courses (one English, one science or math, one foreign language, and one elective) and sit for the Advanced Placement exam in at least three of the four areas (and receive at least an 8 combined total score). Students whose combined scores on any three Advanced Placement exams met or exceeded a given threshold are eligible to have their registration fees for those exams refunded. The program was discontinued following the 2011-2012 school year.

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