Education in Central Kentucky

Education

A High Priority in the Community!

Kentucky Governor Paul Patton created a slogan that resonated across the Commonwealth: Education Pays. And Fayette County is no exception. The County has set high standards in education, with students consistently scoring above state and national averages on the SAT and ACT. The majority of high school graduates in Fayette County go on to college. Many of those graduates choose to pursue their degrees at one of the many colleges and universities located within 30 miles of Lexington.

The Bluegrass is well-educated, with more than 30 percent of the residents in Lexington having earned a college degree or more. This ranks second among cities of comparable size (200,000 to 300,000) and sixth among cities with a population over 200,000.

Education pays in many ways. The average high school graduate earns $6,000 more per year than the average high school dropout. And the average college graduate earns $25,000 more per year than the average high school dropout.

The recent campaign is not the only time the state government has taken an interest in reforming the education system. In 1990, Kentucky’s General Assembly passed sweeping education reform in KERA (Kentucky Education Reform Act). It helped establish performance standards, school-based decision making councils, and the ungraded primary system. Nationally, KERA has become a model for school reform.

The Fayette County Public Schools are consistently listed among the nation’s best in cities of Lexington’s size. For the last 10 years, the district has averaged 34 National Merit Semifinalists each year. With 57 schools and more than 32,550 students, the schools governed by a five-member school board, elected to four-year terms. The school system employs more than 4,500 people.

For parents looking for other alternatives, Lexington offers many excellent private and parochial schools. Tuition and admission requirements vary.

Parents with preschool children are fortunate that Lexington has more than 150 licensed day care centers or day care homes. A number of local churches and hospitals offer child care services. Kentucky recognizes four basic categories of child care: non-regulated care (usually private homes with three or fewer children), certified family day care homes (up to six children), type 2 licensed family day care homes (7 to 12 children), and type 1 licensed family day care facilities (12 or more children).

Public Schools

Fayette County Public Schools
700 East Main Street — Lexington, KY 40502 — 859-281-0100

More than 32,550 children attend Fayette County Public Schools. The system operates 53 schools (34 elementary schools, 11 middle schools, and 5 high schools). In addition to these schools, there are two centers for applied technology and one alternative school. Employed are 2,240 teachers and 2,300 classified workers. Of those 2,240 educators, 1,468 have a Master’s degree and 435 have Rank 1 certification.

Fayette County Public Schools have long been recognized for their strong foundation in providing the educational fundamentals of reading, writing, and arithmetic. But more recently, they have taken on a broader approach to educating students by offering a number of magnet schools and programs that focus on students with special needs and abilities.

For example, the School for Creative and Performing Arts (SCAPA) provides public pupils in grades 4 through 8 instruction geared toward the fine arts. The Spanish Immersion Program at Maxwell Elementary helps children develop proficiency in a second language. The Math, Science, and Technology Center and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School allows students the opportunity for hands-on learning in technology and the sciences.

Children who turn four years old before October 1 of the year they are entering school are eligible for the preschool program. Children must be five years old on or before October 1 of the year they enroll to become eligible for the primary program. Because school attendance is required in Kentucky for those children aged 6 to 16, any child who turns 6 on or before October 1 must enroll for the school year.

All students entering school must provide a valid immunization certificate upon registration. Fayette County Public School System requires students to be immunized against polio, diphtheria, tetanus, rubella (German measles), and rubeola (red measles). Students entering the sixth grade must have a second MMR vaccination. And each child enrolling in the school system for the first time must be tested for tuberculosis and have a medical examination within six months of enrolling or one month following admission.