Majority of Kentucky public school students test below grade level in basic subjects

Less than half of Kentucky students are at grade level in core subjects, new test results reveal.

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released the new test scores Thursday, revealing the dismal outcomes.

In elementary schools, less than half of students are proficient in reading and math (47% and 42%, respectively).

Scores are even worse for science (34%) and social studies (39%).

By high school, students test even worse.

Reading and social studies both dip two points to 45% and 37%. Math falls 7 points to 35%, and science plummets to just 6% proficiency.

The data also show some racial groups persistently underperform across all subject areas.

For example, in high school math, Asians score an average of 61% and white students 40%, while black students average 15%, and Hispanic and Latino students 23%.

Low-income learners score 36% in reading and 25% in math.

Even fewer special needs students (14% and 11%) or English Language Learners (6% and 5%) meet grade level standards. 

While less than half of Kentucky students reach proficiency in basic subjects, government officials tried to put a positive spin on the results.

“The picture we see with the 2023-2024 school year data is not a straightforward one. There are several areas to be proud of, some areas of concern and some areas where we as a Commonwealth have plateaued,” commented Robbie Fletcher, KDE’s commissioner of education.

“We believe that the investments that our General Assembly has made in literacy and numeracy, along with our collaboration with local school districts in these areas, will enable our students to achieve even higher levels in the years to come.” 

However, the Kentucky-based Bluegrass Institute for Public Policy Solutions noted students are performing worse the more money the state spends. 

In a recent report, the Bluegrass Institute tracked school funding and NAEP test scores for a 30-year period (1992-2022) and found a steady decrease in return on taxpayer dollars over time. 

“This data-driven analysis adds to the growing mountain of evidence that 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 Bluegrass President Jim Waters in a press release.  

“It also confirms what reformers have said for decades: more money does not automatically result in a better education.”