How do schools work in NKY? 

Boone, Kenton and Campbell counties have about 55,000 students enrolled in its 13 public school districts.

Kentucky’s 1838 education law established the state’s first system of free education, according to the Kentucky Historical Society. The legislation established a system that included a state superintendent, state board of education, and county board of education. 

But the law didn’t require local taxation for schools. 

That meant wealthy communities could choose to support schools through taxation if they chose to. 

The result was a collection of small, locally funded districts that operated mostly independent of each other and the state board. 

Fast forward about 100 years to 1934, when Kentucky decided to create two types of school districts: county school districts and independent school districts. Independent districts had to have at least 200 students enrolled – a requirement that is still in place today.

Today, an independent district is defined as “those school districts whose geographic boundaries are defined not by the county lines that define most districts, but by historic boundaries within counties,” according to the Legislative Research Commission report. In short, independent districts are the ones that didn’t merge with the county in 1934. 

Northern Kentucky, according to the Kentucky School Board Association, has 10 independent school districts, which is the largest cluster of independent districts in the state. The state has 51 total independent schools. 

So what does all that mean for someone moving into the region? 

In short, where you live matters – a lot. Let’s say you live in Bellevue. Your child could go to Bellevue Independent School District, or you could go to Campbell County Schools. 

Don’t like either of those options? You can also have your child apply to, for example, go to Fort Thomas or Beechwood Independent schools, though tuition is required if you live outside of those cities. 

There’s also transportation to think about: If you live in Bellevue but you decided to send your child to Beechwood, you’ll have to provide transportation because buses won’t go outside the district. 

But this can also be a positive, because county districts are required to bus all students who live in the county, so if you’re in Bellevue, your kids could get a bus to Campbell County Schools. 

There are also many private schools within the Diocese of Covington to choose from, with 34 schools spread among Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties. Those schools do require tuition and do not provide transportation. 

Here is a full list of public and parochial, along with contact information:

NKY public and parochial schools