Total enrollment
42,138
+935 (+2%) vs SY 2020-21
81 schools in Fayette County
Kentucky · 42,138 students · 1 city
81 public schools operate under Fayette County, with roughly 42,138 K-12 students enrolled (44 elementary, 12 middle, and 24 high).
4-year change in Fayette County
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25School count
73
0 (0%) vs SY 2020-21
Source: NCES Common Core of Data, enrollment-weighted demographic averages
How Fayette County ranks
Among districts| Measure | This district | In Kentucky | In the US |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.5% | #39 of 139 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 42,138 | #2 of 158 | #127 of 9,234 |
| Number of schools ranked most first | 73 | #2 of 158 | N/A |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 14.0:1 | #33 of 158 | #4,361 of 9,044 |
| Free or reduced-price lunch share ranked highest first | 50.3% | #134 of 158 | #4,129 of 8,164 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 71.5% | #5 of 137 | #251 of 6,853 |
Districts need at least 2 schools and 500 students to be ranked. Test proficiency is ranked within the state only, since each state gives a different test. Each rank links to the full list.
Inside Fayette County
State test results across the district's 55 scored schools run from Scapa At Bluegrass at 81.0% proficient to Russell Cave Elementary School at 16.9%, a gap of 64.2 points. That is the 2nd widest gap among 101 Kentucky districts with four or more scored schools.
Since 2017-18, the 68 district schools that reported both years went from 41,591 to 40,768 students (down 2%) and from 2,834 to 2,888 full-time teachers (up 2%), as of 2024-25.
Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across each school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25; schools with fewer than 100 students and schools serving specialized populations are left out. Staffing figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data and count only schools that reported students and teachers in both years.
About Fayette County
Across 81 schools, Fayette County serves about 42,138 students in Kentucky. By footprint it is a sprawling district.
For a sense of the school types, Fayette County consists of 44 elementary, 12 middle, 24 high schools, and 1 combined or other.
Per-school enrollment averages around 520 in this district, higher than the Kentucky typical of 467.
Over the past 4-year window. Total public-school enrollment in Fayette County has remained close to its prior level since SY 2020-21, moving from about 41,203 students to 42,138.
In the discussion threads here, the community for Fayette County discusses sports rivalries, cross-district programs, and shared facilities. Posts come from current and former families, staff, and alumni.