All rankings · Kentucky
Best Kentucky public schools
Eight rankings of Kentucky's public schools from the latest NCES + state-assessment data. Unlike most school rankings, this list leads with BeatsExpectations: a demographics-adjusted score that asks how a school performs relative to what its student population would predict, not just in absolute terms.
Kentucky schools outperforming demographics
Top schools by BeatsExpectations score. Demographically-adjusted; a +20 here means the school posts 20 more proficiency points than its FRL profile predicts.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dewitt Elementary School | Flat Lick | +45.0pp |
| 2 | Whitley County East Elementary School | Williamsburg | +42.8pp |
| 3 | Burning Springs Elementary | Manchester | +42.4pp |
| 4 | G R Hampton Elementary School | Barbourville | +38.5pp |
| 5 | Sublimity Elementary School | London | +35.8pp |
| 6 | Pleasant View Elementary School | Williamsburg | +35.2pp |
| 7 | Highland-Turner Elementary School | Booneville | +33.7pp |
| 8 | Tompkinsville Elem | Tompkinsville | +33.5pp |
| 9 | Phelps Elementary School | Freeburn | +33.0pp |
| 10 | Farmington Elementary School | Mayfield | +32.9pp |
| 11 | Hazel Green Elementary School | East Bernstadt | +32.7pp |
| 12 | Lone Oak Elementary School | Paducah | +31.9pp |
| 13 | Kyrock Elementary School | Sweeden | +31.8pp |
| 14 | McKee Elementary School | McKee | +31.6pp |
| 15 | Central Elementary School | Barbourville | +31.6pp |
Kentucky Title I schools beating the odds
High-poverty schools (60%+ FRL) ranking in the top quartile of their state's proficiency.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Burning Springs Elementary | Manchester | 77.7% |
| 2 | G R Hampton Elementary School | Barbourville | 77.6% |
| 3 | Dewitt Elementary School | Flat Lick | 77.3% |
| 4 | Whitley County East Elementary School | Williamsburg | 76.6% |
| 5 | Sublimity Elementary School | London | 76.3% |
| 6 | Farmington Elementary School | Mayfield | 75.2% |
| 7 | Lone Oak Elementary School | Paducah | 74.5% |
| 8 | Tompkinsville Elem | Tompkinsville | 70.8% |
| 9 | Kyrock Elementary School | Sweeden | 70.8% |
| 10 | Bush Elementary School | London | 70.7% |
| 11 | McKee Elementary School | McKee | 69.5% |
| 12 | Graves County Central Elementary | Mayfield | 69.0% |
| 13 | Reidland Elementary School | Paducah | 68.5% |
| 14 | Manchester Elementary School | Manchester | 68.2% |
| 15 | Hopkins Elementary School | Somerset | 68.0% |
Kentucky schools by raw proficiency
The traditional ranking: highest combined math + reading proficiency on the state assessment.| # | School | City | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Anchorage Independent Public School | Anchorage | 81.2% |
| 2 | Scapa At Bluegrass | Lexington | 81.0% |
| 3 | duPont Manual High | Louisville | 77.8% |
| 4 | Burning Springs Elementary | Manchester | 77.7% |
| 5 | G R Hampton Elementary School | Barbourville | 77.6% |
| 6 | Dewitt Elementary School | Flat Lick | 77.3% |
| 7 | Whitley County East Elementary School | Williamsburg | 76.6% |
| 8 | Sublimity Elementary School | London | 76.3% |
| 9 | Johnson Elementary School | Fort Thomas | 76.1% |
| 10 | Greathouse/Shryock Traditional | Louisville | 75.8% |
| 11 | Farmington Elementary School | Mayfield | 75.2% |
| 12 | Clays Mill Elementary School | Lexington | 74.9% |
| 13 | Murray Elementary School | Murray | 74.5% |
| 14 | Lone Oak Elementary School | Paducah | 74.5% |
| 15 | Norton Elementary | Louisville | 72.7% |
Kentucky schools with the lowest student-teacher ratios
Schools with 200+ students reporting the fewest students per teacher. Excludes virtual.| # | School | City | Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | College View Campus | Elizabethtown | 6.1:1 |
| 2 | Harrison Elementary School | Lexington | 8.2:1 |
| 3 | Lexington Trad Magnet School | Lexington | 8.5:1 |
| 4 | The Phoenix School of Discovery | Louisville | 9.1:1 |
| 5 | Wurtland Middle School | Wurtland | 9.4:1 |
| 6 | Rise STEM Academy for Girls | Lexington | 9.6:1 |
| 7 | Newport Intermediate School | Newport | 9.7:1 |
| 8 | Shelby Academy | Louisville | 9.9:1 |
| 9 | Anchorage Independent Public School | Anchorage | 9.9:1 |
| 10 | Morganfield Elementary School | Morganfield | 10.3:1 |
| 11 | Newport High School | Newport | 10.4:1 |
| 12 | Scapa At Bluegrass | Lexington | 10.4:1 |
| 13 | Newcomer Academy | Louisville | 10.4:1 |
| 14 | Elliott County High School | Sandy Hook | 10.5:1 |
| 15 | Arnett Elementary School | Erlanger | 10.5:1 |
Fastest-growing Kentucky public schools, 2017-2024
Schools open in both years with 200+ enrollment in 2017, ranked by % change.| # | School | City | Enrollment Δ |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pathfinder School of Innovation | Louisville | +98% |
| 2 | Frederick Douglass High School | Lexington | +83% |
| 3 | Knight Middle | Louisville | +82% |
| 4 | Raceland-Worthington Middle School | Raceland | +71% |
| 5 | Old Kentucky Home Middle School | Bardstown | +70% |
| 6 | Rich Pond Elementary | Bowling Green | +69% |
| 7 | Cecilia Valley Elementary School | Cecilia | +63% |
| 8 | Casey County Middle School | Liberty | +54% |
| 9 | T C Cherry Elementary School | Bowling Green | +53% |
| 10 | The Academy @ Shawnee | Louisville | +53% |
| 11 | Stuart Middle School | Louisville | +51% |
| 12 | McCreary County Middle School | Stearns | +49% |
| 13 | Carter G. Woodson Academy | Lexington | +47% |
| 14 | Oakland Elementary | Oakland | +47% |
| 15 | Hustonville Elementary School | Hustonville | +46% |
Most racially diverse Kentucky public schools
Schools with 200+ students ranked by diversity index: the chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.| # | School | City | Diversity index |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jennings Creek Elementary | Bowling Green | 77.9% |
| 2 | Henry F. Moss Middle School | Bowling Green | 77.6% |
| 3 | Warren Central High School | Bowling Green | 75.9% |
| 4 | Lost River Elementary | Bowling Green | 75.7% |
| 5 | Alex R. Kennedy Elementary | Louisville | 75.6% |
| 6 | Luhr Elementary | Louisville | 75.6% |
| 7 | Goldsmith Elementary | Louisville | 75.5% |
| 8 | Southern Elementary School | Lexington | 75.3% |
| 9 | Fern Creek Elementary | Louisville | 74.4% |
| 10 | Meyzeek Middle | Louisville | 74.4% |
| 11 | Zachary Taylor Elementary | Louisville | 74.1% |
| 12 | Westport Early Childhood Center | Louisville | 74.0% |
| 13 | Auburndale Elementary | Louisville | 73.9% |
| 14 | Kenwood Elementary | Louisville | 73.9% |
| 15 | Gutermuth Elementary | Louisville | 73.9% |
Largest Kentucky public schools
Brick-and-mortar schools ranked by total enrollment. Virtual schools excluded.| # | School | City | Students |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Lafayette High School | Lexington | 2,370 |
| 2 | Ballard High | Louisville | 2,148 |
| 3 | Madison Central High School | Richmond | 2,107 |
| 4 | Larry A. Ryle High School | Union | 2,077 |
| 5 | Bryan Station High School | Lexington | 2,030 |
| 6 | Henry Clay High School | Lexington | 1,939 |
| 7 | duPont Manual High | Louisville | 1,899 |
| 8 | Simon Kenton High School | Independence | 1,893 |
| 9 | Marion C. Moore School | Louisville | 1,892 |
| 10 | McCracken County High School | Paducah | 1,882 |
| 11 | Henderson County High School | Henderson | 1,852 |
| 12 | Central Hardin High School | Cecilia | 1,831 |
| 13 | Paul Laurence Dunbar High School | Lexington | 1,828 |
| 14 | Eastern High | Middletown | 1,790 |
| 15 | Pleasure Ridge Park High | Louisville | 1,777 |
Kentucky schools underperforming demographics
Bottom 10% within state by BeatsExpectations. Not a verdict, a starting question. A school may be in leadership transition or recovering from a demographic shift.| # | School | City | Beats by |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Doss High | Louisville | -30.7pp |
| 2 | Blake Elementary | Louisville | -29.1pp |
| 3 | Milton Elementary School | Milton | -28.4pp |
| 4 | Iroquois High | Louisville | -28.3pp |
| 5 | Conway Middle | Louisville | -27.8pp |
| 6 | Mcferran Preparatory Academy | Louisville | -25.4pp |
| 7 | Rutherford Elementary | Louisville | -25.3pp |
| 8 | Rangeland Elementary | Louisville | -25.0pp |
| 9 | Southern High | Louisville | -24.5pp |
| 10 | Trunnell Elementary | Louisville | -24.4pp |
| 11 | Carroll County High School | Carrollton | -24.3pp |
| 12 | Bedford Elementary School | Bedford | -24.3pp |
| 13 | Trimble County JR/SR High School | Bedford | -23.9pp |
| 14 | Frederick Law Olmsted Academy South | Louisville | -23.8pp |
| 15 | Pleasure Ridge Park High | Louisville | -23.7pp |
About these rankings
These tables use the most recent NCES Common Core of Data (2024-25) for enrollment, demographics, and staffing, and state-native assessment data (typically 2023-24 or 2024-25) for proficiency. BeatsExpectations is computed via per-state ordinary-least-squares regression of composite proficiency on free-and-reduced-lunch share. Full methodology.
License: CC-BY 4.0. Reproduce these rankings anywhere with attribution to allk12.com. Press contact: [email protected].
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