Disadvantaged Kentucky students appear stuck in failing system, state report card reveals

Despite spending nearly $12 billion dollars – over $18,000 per student – last year, most students in Kentucky public schools are failing to pass muster.

Overall, just 47% of elementary students meet standards in reading and 42% in math.

In high school, students achieve just 44% and 33% proficiency, respectively.

And for socially disadvantaged students, the results are even more dismal.

Barely one-third of low-income high schoolers can read at grade level, and only 23% can do math.  

Special needs students (14% in reading and 11% in math), foster students (21% and 10%), and homeless students (27% and 17%) struggle similarly.  

“While Kentucky is spending more than ever of its budget pie on public education, it’s drifting farther than ever from its constitutional mandate of providing an efficiently effective system that serves students and taxpayers well,” said Jim Waters, president of the Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions, in February. 

The Bluegrass Institute released a report which found the efficacy of Kentucky’s education spending has decreased substantially since the early 1990’s.  

Though per-pupil funding nearly doubled over the time – after accounting for inflation – reading and math scores for 4th graders barely budged.  

Nevertheless, Kentucky remains one of the few states with no form of school choice.  

Even charter schools – a widely accepted form of public school choice – have been eschewed by the state’s education establishment, teachers’ unions and policymakers.  

This spring, the state Legislature approved a constitutional amendment that would make a path forward for school choice, but voters must approve it in November.