This story was written by Lia Salvatierra, our new Education Reporter. Find more of Lia’s reporting here. Do you have an NKY education story? Email lsalvatierra@linknky.com.
Kenton County Schools Superintendent Dr. Henry Webb views the position as a 24/7 job.
Webb started his education career at Floyd County Schools in eastern Kentucky as a teacher for visually impaired students in 1995, eventually becoming superintendent in 2007.
After a decade, he joined Kenton County School District in 2017. This year marks his 19th as a superintendent.
He didn’t always aspire to the position, but said he realized quickly that leadership multiplied his ability to help kids and staff.
“That’s what brings me joy,” he said.
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There’s reminders of that every day and week, but he said graduation is always a special one. During speeches, students thank Kenton County Schools teachers all the way down to the elementary school level, he said.
Under his tenure, the district has honed two main goals: its attendance and transition readiness rates, or the district’s measurement of a student’s college or career readiness throughout their education, according to Webb.
The aim is 100% for transition readiness and 96.25% attendance.
Those have been, and remain, his goalposts every year.
Kenton County Schools uses its own “community based accountability system” to measure things like transition readiness, different from the state equivalent of “post-secondary readiness,” he said.
This past spring the state changed its accountability system rules, formally allowing districts to adopt their own local models in addition to the state system, though districts like Kenton County Schools were ahead of that curve.
Webb said the district’s transition readiness rate has grown greatly in recent years.
According to district data, 96.96% of seniors graduated transition-ready as of May 2025. According to most recently available state data, the district’s post-secondary readiness rate was 89.3% for the 2024-2025 school year.
Kenton County Schools also counts students who graduate with alternative diplomas in its graduation rate measurement, different from the state.
The district had a 99.36% graduation rate in 2025, according to its own measurements and a 98.4% measurement according to the state.
Webb called it a privilege for the district to have support from our parents and community and stakeholders, who also help inform its local accountability model.
“It’s just an honor to be superintendent here,” he said.
