Kentucky Education Statistics 2026: Schools, Enrollment & Spending
NCES reports 1,550 operating public schools, 177 operating districts, and 657,263 students in Kentucky for school year 2024–25. Final federal finance data place FY2024 current spending at $14,596 per pupil.
The 2026 publication label identifies the release edition. School counts, enrollment, staffing, and finance figures retain their official reference periods.
Kentucky Education Snapshot
NCES school-system measures use 2024–25 CCD Final Version 1a. State directory and FY2024 finance measures retain their own reporting periods.
FY2024 Current Spending Comparison
Current spending covers day-to-day public pre-K-12 operations and excludes capital outlay, debt service, and non-elementary-secondary programs.
Kentucky, South Region, and United States
Current spending per pupil in nominal FY2024 dollars
Kentucky was $443 above the South regional average and $3,023 below the national average.
Chart analysis
- Kentucky current spending was 3.1% above the South regional average.
- Kentucky current spending was 17.2% below the U.S. average.
- Ordering all 50 states and the District of Columbia by this indicator places Kentucky 34th highest.
- Dollar values are not adjusted for inflation within FY2024 or for regional price differences.
Kentucky School, Enrollment, Staffing, and Spending Indicators
Federal CCD measures, Kentucky directory counts, and fiscal-year finance values are kept in separate rows so their reporting periods and definitions remain clear.
| Indicator | Value | Reference period | Source | Coverage note |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating public schools | 1,550 | 2024–25 school year | NCES CCD | Operating schools providing services at the start of the reported school year |
| Operating public districts | 177 | 2024–25 school year | NCES CCD | Operating local education agencies in the federal CCD count |
| Public school enrollment | 657,263 | Fall 2024 | NCES CCD | Pre-K through grade 13 membership; adult education excluded |
| Public school teachers | 42,762 | 2024–25 school year | NCES CCD | Full-time-equivalent teacher count |
| Pupil/teacher ratio | 15.4 | 2024–25 school year | NCES CCD | Students per FTE teacher; not average class size |
| KDE active public schools | 1,477 | January 2026 | KDE directory | State directory count; definition and timing differ from the federal operating-school count |
| KDE public school districts | 171 | January 2026 | KDE directory | 120 county districts and 51 independent districts |
| County school districts | 120 | January 2026 | KDE directory | Districts based along county lines |
| Independent school districts | 51 | January 2026 | KDE directory | Districts with city or town boundaries |
| Current spending per pupil | $14,596 | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Operational current spending; nominal dollars |
| Total expenditure per pupil | $17,622 | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Includes current and noncurrent expenditure categories |
| Total revenue per pupil | $17,114 | FY2024 | U.S. Census Bureau | Federal, state, and local revenue combined |
Table analysis
- NCES reports 1,550 operating public schools and 177 operating districts in Kentucky for 2024–25.
- Fall 2024 student membership is 657,263, down 257 students from fall 2023.
- Kentucky reports 42,762 FTE teachers and a statewide pupil/teacher ratio of 15.4.
- The January 2026 KDE directory lists 1,477 active public schools and 171 districts. Those state directory counts are retained separately because the timing and count rules differ from NCES CCD.
- County-based districts account for 120 of the 171 KDE districts; 51 are independent.
- FY2024 total expenditure exceeded current spending by $3,026 per pupil.
- Total revenue and total expenditure are separate accounting measures and need not match within a fiscal year.
- NCES, KDE, and Census measures should remain tied to their own definitions and reporting periods.
Kentucky Compared with U.S. Public School Totals
School, district, and enrollment comparisons use 2024–25 NCES CCD values. The U.S. teacher total and pupil/teacher ratio are not published for this year because Tennessee teacher data are unavailable.
| Measure | Kentucky | United States | Comparison | Period |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Operating schools | 1,550 | 99,073 | 1.56% of U.S. | 2024–25 |
| Operating districts | 177 | 19,183 | 0.92% of U.S. | 2024–25 |
| Student membership | 657,263 | 49,269,882 | 1.33% of U.S. | Fall 2024 |
| Teacher FTE | 42,762 | — | U.S. total unavailable | 2024–25 |
| Pupil/teacher ratio | 15.4 | — | U.S. ratio unavailable | 2024–25 |
| Students per operating school | 424.0 | 497.3 | 73.3 fewer | 2024–25 |
Table analysis
- Kentucky accounts for 1.33% of U.S. public school membership and 1.56% of U.S. operating schools.
- The state accounts for 0.92% of U.S. operating districts.
- Kentucky has about 424 students per operating school, compared with about 497 nationally.
- The 2024–25 U.S. teacher total and pupil/teacher ratio are not shown because NCES marks the national values unavailable when Tennessee teacher data are missing.
Kentucky Public School Enrollment, Fall 2013-2024
NCES Common Core of Data fall membership provides a consistent state series for the period shown.
Enrollment Movement, 2013–2024
Public elementary-secondary students counted in the fall
Enrollment reached 691,996 in fall 2019 and measured 657,263 in fall 2024.
Trend analysis
- Enrollment decreased by 20,126 students, or 3.0%, from 2013 to 2024.
- The series high was 691,996 in fall 2019.
- The series low was 654,239 in fall 2021.
- The largest one-year movement was a 4.8% decline from fall 2019 to fall 2020.
- Enrollment rose 0.9% in 2022, declined 0.4% in 2023, and changed by less than 0.1% in 2024.
Full Enrollment Trend Table
Annual change is calculated from the unrounded enrollment counts in the table.
| Fall year | Enrollment | Annual change | Series |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 677,389 | Base year | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2014 | 688,640 | +1.7% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2015 | 686,598 | -0.3% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2016 | 684,017 | -0.4% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2017 | 680,978 | -0.4% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2018 | 677,821 | -0.5% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2019 | 691,996 | +2.1% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2020 | 658,809 | -4.8% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2021 | 654,239 | -0.7% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2022 | 660,029 | +0.9% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2023 | 657,520 | -0.4% | NCES CCD fall membership |
| 2024 | 657,263 | −257 (<0.1%) | NCES CCD fall membership |
Table analysis
- Four consecutive annual changes were below zero from 2015 through 2018.
- The 2019 increase added 14,175 students from the prior fall.
- The 2020 count was 33,187 students below 2019.
- The 2024 count remained 1,546 students below the 2020 count.
- Fall 2024 enrollment was 257 students below fall 2023.
Kentucky Public School Finance, FY2024
Census finance values are reported per pupil in nominal dollars. Revenue source amounts sum to total revenue per pupil.
Revenue Per Pupil by Source
Federal, state, and local revenue in FY2024
State sources supplied the largest portion of Kentucky public school revenue per pupil in FY2024.
Chart analysis
- State revenue supplied $7,847 per pupil, or 45.9% of total revenue per pupil.
- Local revenue supplied $6,335 per pupil, or 37.0%.
- Federal revenue supplied $2,932 per pupil, or 17.1%.
- State revenue per pupil exceeded local revenue by $1,512.
| Finance measure | Per pupil | Share of revenue | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|
| Federal revenue | $2,932 | 17.1% | Federal funds received by public school systems |
| State revenue | $7,847 | 45.9% | Revenue from state government sources |
| Local revenue | $6,335 | 37.0% | Local taxes, parent government contributions, charges, and other local sources |
| Total revenue | $17,114 | 100.0% | Federal, state, and local revenue combined |
| Current spending | $14,596 | Not a revenue share | Operational spending for public pre-K-12 education |
| Total expenditure | $17,622 | Not a revenue share | Current spending plus capital and other expenditure categories |
| U.S. current spending | $17,619 | Comparison only | National current spending per pupil |
| South current spending | $14,153 | Comparison only | Census South region weighted average |
Table analysis
- FY2024 total revenue was $17,114 per pupil.
- State and local sources together supplied 82.9% of revenue per pupil.
- Federal revenue accounted for the remaining 17.1%.
- Current spending was $2,518 below total revenue per pupil; these measures describe different accounting sides.
- Total expenditure was $508 above total revenue per pupil for the reported fiscal period.
- Per-pupil values may use finance-survey enrollment definitions that differ from the NCES fall membership series.
Enrollment Definition Crosswalk
Three official systems publish different student counts because the timing, population, and analytic purpose differ.
| System | Student count | Period | Primary use |
|---|---|---|---|
| NCES Common Core of Data | 657,263 | Fall 2024 | Nationally comparable fall enrollment |
| KDE School Report Card | 634,424 | 2022-23 school year | State public-school reporting |
| Census School System Finances | 656,427 | FY2024 survey | Per-pupil finance calculations |
Table analysis
- The NCES count is 22,839 students above the KDE School Report Card figure.
- The Census finance denominator is 836 students below the fall 2024 NCES count.
- Differences reflect source definitions and reporting periods, not a single year-to-year enrollment change.
What the Kentucky Data Shows
The profile combines system scale, enrollment movement, and school finance without treating unlike measures as one series.
District structure
The January 2026 KDE directory lists 171 districts: 120 county systems and 51 independent systems. NCES reports 177 operating districts for 2024–25 because the federal CCD count includes operating LEA types under its own reporting rules.
Enrollment direction
NCES fall enrollment declined 3.0% between 2013 and 2024. The 2024 count remained above the 2021 series low but below the 2019 high.
Spending position
Kentucky's FY2024 current spending per pupil exceeded the South average but remained below the national average. This ordering uses current spending only.
Funding mix
State sources supplied the largest share of revenue per pupil, followed by local and federal sources. Revenue source shares do not identify spending by function.
Nominal dollars
FY2024 finance values are nominal. They are not adjusted for inflation, Kentucky price levels, district wage markets, or student service needs.
Publication timing
The 2026 edition uses the latest final data available for each measure. A 2026 page label does not convert fall 2024 or FY2024 observations into 2026 estimates.
Source and Methodology
Federal school-system counts
NCES CCD 2024–25 Summary Table 2 supplies operating schools, operating districts, student membership, teacher FTE, and the pupil/teacher ratio.
State directory structure
Kentucky Department of Education: About Schools and Districts. The January 2026 state directory reported 1,477 active public schools and 171 districts, including 120 county and 51 independent districts.
Enrollment series
NCES Digest Table 203.20 supplies the earlier fall series. The 2024–25 CCD state summary supplies the fall 2024 endpoint of 657,263 students.
Finance data
U.S. Census Bureau 2024 Public Elementary-Secondary Education Finance Data, final release dated May 7, 2026.
State context
Kentucky Education Facts provides state education context. KDE Open House hosts School Report Card datasets through 2024-25.
Units
Enrollment is a student count. School and district values are organization counts. Teachers are full-time equivalents. The pupil/teacher ratio is students per teacher FTE. Finance measures are nominal dollars per pupil. Percent changes use unrounded counts.
Rounding and ranks
Annual enrollment changes and revenue shares are rounded to one decimal place. The spending rank is derived by ordering the 50 states and District of Columbia by FY2024 current spending per pupil.
NCES operating-school and district counts include entities providing services at the start of 2024–25. Student membership includes prekindergarten through grade 13 and excludes adult education students; teachers are full-time equivalents. NCES does not publish a 2024–25 U.S. teacher total or pupil/teacher ratio because Tennessee teacher data are unavailable. Current spending covers operational costs for public pre-K-12 education. Total expenditure also includes capital and other noncurrent categories. NCES, KDE, and Census measures are retained separately.
Spending comparisons describe reported fiscal inputs, not school quality or student outcomes. State rankings change with the selected measure. Nominal per-pupil amounts do not account for regional prices, district scale, enrollment composition, capital cycles, or service requirements.