Education in Kentucky
| This article is part of a series on |
| Education in the United States |
|---|
| Summary |
|
| Curriculum topics |
| Education policy issues |
|
| Levels of education |
|
|
Education portal United States portal |
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 post-secondary institutions. Most Kentucky schools and colleges are accredited through the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS).
U.S. News ranks Kentucky 34th in education. In 2014, education in Kentucky was recorded at 45th in the United States based on the percentage of residents with a bachelor's degree, making it one of the least educated states in the US. In 1997 Kentucky was estimated to have 40% of working age adults with "low literacy skill levels...likely to impede their personal advancement". Education in Kentucky has been ranked 14th in educational affordability, 25th in K-12 attrition, and was named the 31st most intelligent state using a formula by Morgan Quitno Press (ahead of western states such as California, Nevada, Arizona and New Mexico).
After reforms beginning in 1990 assisted the state of Kentucky in making progress in the area of education. For example, the percentage of the population of Kentucky "lacking basic prose literacy skills" was 19% in 1992, with only five states having a higher percentage and by 2003, the percentage of Kentucky's population that lacked basic literary skills decreased to 12%, with twenty-one other states having higher rates. Lexington, Kentucky ranks 10th among US cities for having a high percent of the population awarded with a college degree or higher.