State-issued report cards grading Kentucky public schools and districts on last year’s academic performance will become publicly available this Thursday.
This year’s report cards use the same grading criteria that were implemented back in 2022, though the state is changing its accountability system for next year’s batch.
LINK nky breaks down how to read the 2025-26 report cards and what you should be looking for when they publish.
Click here to search your school or district’s latest state report card data.
What’s the grading criteria?
Report cards combine six indicators to assess specific schools and overall district performance at the elementary, middle and high school level.
One indicator is student performance on state testing for reading, mathematics, science, social studies and writing. A “distinguished” or “proficient” score reflects top performance on those tests.
Other indicators include:
- Progression of English as a second language students
- Results from a standard survey on the quality of school climate and safety
- Graduation rates (assessed for high school only)
- Postsecondary readiness, which measures student achievements in addition to a diploma like AP test scores, dual credit hours or industry-recognized certifications, licensures, or credentials (assessed for high school only)
Report cards also include other information not part of the above grading criteria, including progress toward state academic goals.
How do I read my report card?
A school or district’s performance overall or on individual indicators are measured on a color-coded scale from lowest to highest.
- Red (lowest performance)
- Orange (low to middle performance)
- Yellow (medium performance)
- Green (medium to high performance)
- Blue (highest performance)
Report cards measure current performance or its “status.”
Report card also measure “change” by evaluating how a district’s six indicators compare to the previous year. When measuring change, 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.
This story has been updated.
