Frederick Douglass High School

Set in Lexington, Kentucky, Frederick Douglass High School is a heavily attended senior high, run under Fayette County. It educates 1,770 students across grades 9 through 12. That puts it 217% bigger than the typical public school in Kentucky, which averages around 558 students.

Across the 73 schools in Fayette County (42,138 students total), Frederick Douglass High School accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

Looking at the student body, Frederick Douglass High School lists that the largest single group is White at 43%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest breaks down as 30% Black, 17% Hispanic, 6% multiracial, 4% Asian. By comparison, Fayette County as a whole is about 68% White, so the school skews noticeably less White than its surroundings.

On the resource side, The school lists 98 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 18.0:1. That figure is higher than the state norm's 16.6:1 average. An estimated 46% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

After controlling for student poverty, Frederick Douglass High School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 47.9%, the actual is 38.8%, a residual of -9.1 points.

Around the school, census data for Fayette County shows the typical household earns roughly $69,479 per year, 48% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 9%. Across Fayette County's 81 public schools (combined enrollment of about 42,142 students), Frederick Douglass High School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Carter G. Woodson Academy, roughly 0.1 miles away. Within five miles, there are 8 other public schools. Among the 7 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Frederick Douglass High School ranks 4th on composite proficiency, higher than the local average of 37.4%.

The school occupies a metropolitan site.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Frederick Douglass High School has expanded 83%, going from 965 students in 2018 to 1,770 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 36% to 30% across the same window.

On this page, recent activity here tends to focus on science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Anyone with firsthand experience at this school can post or comment.