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The Kentucky Department of Education released its 2024-2025 Assessment and Accountability results this week, which measures overall academic performance and preparedness at public school districts in the commonwealth.
This is the third full year of Kentucky’s new accountability system, which was established in statute in 2020. The report measures student performance in various subject areas and offers overall indicators for grade levels and schools.
The current performance is marked as the status metric in the state’s report. It also measures how those indicators compared to the previous year, marked as the change metric. This will be third year the state has had change metric data, allowing for a greater degree of comparison across time.
The metrics are each color-coded from lowest to highest: red, orange, yellow, green and blue. As it relates to the change metric, a red rating indicates a significant decline, orange indicates a more mild decline, yellow indicates no change, green indicates a mild improvement and blue indicates a significant improvement.
Students must take state tests, called Summative Assessments, in grades 3 through 8 and in grade 10. Their results place them into a performance category, the two highest of which are proficient and distinguished.
“The goal is to move all students to a higher performance category and ultimately to the proficient performance level or above,” according to the Kentucky Department of Education.
“At the heart of Kentucky’s accountability system is a commitment to students,” said Kentucky Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher in a press release. “The system is designed to ensure that every learner is well-rounded, equipped with essential skills and prepared for success in college, career and beyond.”
Regional trends
The state’s average kindergarten readiness is the same as it was during the 2022-23 school year, even though it had ticked up slightly in 2023-24. Many Northern Kentucky districts, however, have seen mild to steep declines since 2022-23. Two districts, Ludlow and Fort Thomas, have seen slight increases.
There are a handful of exceptions to this, notably Southgate and Newport. In 2024-25, 71% of Southgate students coming into kindergarten were ready, soaring past the rest of region. Superintendent Greg Duty attributed this to the district’s small size and the outsized role that early childhood education has played there.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, composite ACT scores are generally trending downwards, although some districts have seen slim improvements in composite scores. The state average has been trending downward since 2022-23.
Check information about individual NKY districts below. NOTE: The metrics displayed both on the state’s data dashboard and below are deliberately simplified. Interested families can view more exacting data on demographic breakdowns, measures and trends over time at the state’s dashboard page. Data downloads for both full districts and individual schools are also available at the site.
LINK nky reached out to each district for comment on the results, but not all had responded at the time of publication. We will update this page as they respond.
NKY Districts
Beechwood Independent
Bellevue Independent
Bellvue scored low in overall metrics but high in several change metrics, most notably for middle and high school.
“Our district’s recent assessment results reflect many improvements across the board,” said Superintendent Misty Middleton in an email to LINK nky. “While we recognize we are not yet where we ultimately want to be, the growth we are seeing shows we are moving in the right direction.”
Middleton attributes the improvements to the district’s curriculum planing system, which “provide[s] consistency and clarity across classrooms and grade levels. Through weekly Professional Learning Communities, our teachers analyze data, collaborate on instructional decisions, plan” and design targeted Tier 2 and Tier 3 instruction for students who need additional support or enrichment opportunities for those ready to move forward in their learning.”
Boone County
Boone County is the largest district in the region and saw several areas of improvement from last year: Ten schools saw their overall ratings increase, and eight saw performance increases. Nine schools saw improvements in their English learner indicator rating, which is notable given the district’s size and diversity.
A statement from the district identified some areas it would like to improve.
“While these assessments indicate that approximately 6 out of 10 students at the elementary level are proficient in reading, a rate that historically outpaces the Kentucky state proficiency rate, it remains that 4 out of 10 elementary students are not reading at grade level,” the statement reads. “With the district wide adoption of a new High Quality Instructional Resource (HQIR) across the district and the commitment of our exceptional teachers, the district expects the reading proficiency rates to rise in the coming years.”
Campbell County
Campbell County Schools is the smallest of the county school districts in the region. Highlights from this year’s report include improvements for both high and middle school categories; this is actually the first year Campbell County middle schools have achieved a green status.
““Student learning and growth are at the heart of everything we do,” said Superintendent Shelli Wilson said in a statement. “These results highlight the strengths of our collective work and the opportunities we continue to embrace as we help every child build the skills needed for a limitless future.”
Covington Independent
Covington Independent, while not as impressive as some of the other districts in the region, has shown gradual improvement over the past several years in its rankings. This year, Holmes High School was a standout, displaying improvements in numerous metrics, including many of its subject matter performance metrics, its ratings for English language learners and its post-secondary readiness score. This reflects a year-over-year improvement in the school’s ratings over the course of nine years, according to the district. Two elementaries, Glenn O. Swing and John G. Carlisle, moved into the green.
“This is great news, great progress,” said Superintendent Alvin Garrison in a press release. “The results show that the systems we put in place are working, and we are headed in the right direction. I am so proud of our staff and students. They have worked hard to make this achievement possible.”
Dayton Independent
Dayton saw improvements in overall ratings for both middle and high school, which both increased from an orange to yellow and from a yellow to green rating, respectively. Superintendent Rick Wolff said the district’s third grade scores, an especially important benchmark that can often predict students’ future success, were some of the best they’ve ever seen.
Wolf also pointed to the district’s high rate of post-secondary readiness, which is reflected in its rating. Math and reading ratings at both the high and middle school levels increased from last year.
Erlanger-Elsmere Independent
All of Erlanger-Elsmere’s elementary schools saw improvements to their overall ratings with two entering green status: Lindeman and Miles Elementary. The schools also scored generally high in the school climate and safety categories. What’s more, each grade span saw increases in the percentages of students moving into the proficient and distinguished performance categories for reading and math, although post-secondary ratings were middling to low.
“In our district, we remain committed to improving outcomes for the whole child by supporting their variety of needs,” Elranger-Elsmere Superintendent Chad Molley wrote in an email. “In doing so, we are not only seeing improved academic outcomes, but survey results that speak to the level of respect, comfort and support our students feel in our schools and with our staff each day. The more our students stay in our district, the more empowered they will be to continue to grow and flourish.”
Fort Thomas Independent
Kenton County
Kenton County had numerous high overall ratings, with 14 out of the 18 schools in the district rated either green or blue. Moreover, students at all grade levels either scored in the proficient or distinguished performance categories in subjects areas or, at very least, higher than the state average, according to the district. The only exception to this was high school science, which had performances at the state average. Kenton County also had some of the highest ratings as it related to English language students. River Ridge Elementary stands out as lagging behind the other schools on several metrics.
“We are grateful for the commitment of our students, staff, families and community,” wrote the district in a press release. “KCSD is proud of these results and remains dedicated to continuous improvement and ensuring equitable, high-quality learning experiences for every student.”
Ludlow Independent
Ludlow’s ratings this year were a little peculiar with middle school standing out as showing several declines, the reason for which isn’t immediately clear from the data. That being said, Ludlow scored in the blue for post-secondary readiness as the district has cultivated numerous programs to help students transition out of high school and into the next stage of their lives, said Superintendent Jason Steffen.
Steffen added that he was generally pleased with the results of the district’s spring testing. “”Our results are a testament to all of the great things going on down here,” Steffen said.
Newport Independent
Newport’s overall ratings, while better than last year, are still among the lowest in the region. Post secondary readiness for students also ranks low. Yet, the district saw positive improvements on several fronts, most notably on its combined reading and math indicator, sporting a blue change rating at the high school and a green change rating at other grade levels. Plus, there’s the aforementioned kindergarten readiness scores
“This year, we saw growth in reading and math at both the middle and high school levels,” Acting Superintendent Matt Atkins wrote in an email. “Our English Learner program made notable gains, and our high school graduation rate also increased. While important work remains, we are encouraged by the momentum demonstrated in many key areas.”
Southgate Independent
Southgate is the smallest district in the region, lacking a high school (Southgate students go to Campbell County after leaving Southgate Middle School). Superintendent Greg Duty touted the district’s emphasis on early education for its success in kindergarten readiness, as well as the tight-knight community that comes with a small district.
“The emphasis is just really growing our kids,” Duty said, adding that it was a “complete team effort” from the teachers, families and support staff involved.
Walton-Verona Independent
Walton-Verona was among the highest ranked districts in the region, never scoring below a 3 (yellow) on any metric. Superintendent Matt Baker said 22 of the 26 assessments given throughout the year saw increases in the percentage of proficient and distinguished students.
“We couldn’t be happier with our results,” Baker said.
Check out ratings from last year and explore and the full data dashboard for every school district in the commonwealth at reportcard.kyschools.us.