List of school districts in Kentucky

This is a list of school districts in Kentucky, which has two types of public school districts. The first type, county school districts, typically cover all or a large part of a county, and are generally styled "XXXX County (Public) Schools." The second type, "independent" districts, usually encompass cities or groups of cities. These have several different styles, but with one detail in common—"County" is nowhere to be found in the district name. All independent districts operate within a single county, with the following exceptions:^[1]

Burgin, which mainly serves a single city in Mercer County, but also includes a very small part of Boyle County.
Caverna, which serves two adjoining cities on separate sides of the boundary between Barren and Hart Counties
Corbin, which serves a single city divided between Whitley and Knox Counties.
Eminence, which mainly serves a single city in Henry County, but also includes a very small part of Shelby County.

All county districts operate schools from kindergarten through 12th grade. Most independent districts also do so; however, four do not operate high schools. These districts have agreements in place with one or more nearby school districts to allow their students to attend high schools in the other district(s). If a district does not operate high schools, the district(s) that its students will go to at that level will be noted below it.

The Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA) operates schools for military dependents at two major United States Army bases in Kentucky, Fort Campbell and Fort Knox. DoDEA has organized a Kentucky-specific district to administer the schools on those bases (although some of the Fort Campbell schools are physically located in Tennessee).

Multi-County

Central Kentucky Education Cooperative
Green River Regional Educational Cooperative
KEDC Special Education Cooperative
Kentucky District, DoDEA Americas
Kentucky Educational Development Corporation
Kentucky Tech Schools (16 schools)

Barren County

Bell County

Boone County

Bourbon County

Boyd County

Boyle County

Boyle County Schools
Burgin Independent Schools (a tiny portion)
Danville Schools

Bracken County

Breathitt County

Breckinridge County

Calloway County

Campbell County

Bellevue Independent Schools
Campbell County Schools
Dayton Independent Schools
Fort Thomas Independent Schools
Newport Independent Schools
Southgate Independent Schools
- The Southgate district does not operate a high school. It has reciprocal agreements with most, if not all, other districts within Boone, Campbell, and Kenton Counties to allow Southgate students to attend high school in those districts. According to a 2015 report by the Legislative Research Commission, the research arm of the Kentucky General Assembly, most Southgate high school students in the 2013–14 school year attended Highlands High School in the Fort Thomas district, with a large minority attending Newport High School in that city's district. Six other Southgate students were attending high school in five other districts.^[2]

Daviess County

Franklin County

Fulton County

Grant County

Graves County

Greenup County

Hardin County

Harlan County

Hart County

Henry County

Hopkins County

Jefferson County

Anchorage Independent Schools
- The Anchorage district does not operate a high school. It has reciprocal agreements with both Jefferson County Public Schools and Oldham County Schools that allow Anchorage students to apply for admission to any high school in either district.^[2]
Jefferson County Public Schools

Johnson County

Kenton County

Knox County

Laurel County

East Bernstadt Independent School
- The East Bernstadt district does not operate a high school. It has a reciprocal agreement with Laurel County Public Schools that allows East Bernstadt students to attend either of the Laurel County district's two high schools.^[2]
Laurel County Public Schools

Letcher County

Logan County

Madison County

McCracken County

Mercer County

Nelson County

Perry County

Pike County

Pulaski County

Pulaski County Schools
Science Hill Independent Schools
- The Science Hill district does not operate a high school. It has reciprocal agreements with the Pulaski County and Somerset districts that allow Science Hill students to attend high school in either district. According to the aforementioned Legislative Research Commission report, almost all Science Hill students choose to attend the Somerset district's high school.^[2]
Somerset Independent Schools

Taylor County

Warren County

Whitley County

Single-District Counties

Footnotes

^ While a tiny part of Shelby County is served by the Eminence district, otherwise in Henry County, said area is so small that Shelby County for all practical purposes has a single district.

References

^ "Appendix B: Maps Of Independent School Districts In Operation In FY 2014-FY 2015 Using 2005 Tax District Boundaries" (PDF). Research Report No. 415 – Kentucky's Independent School Districts: A Primer. Frankfort, KY: Office of Education Accountability, Legislative Research Commission. September 15, 2015. pp. 83–138. Retrieved April 26, 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c ^d "Chapter 3, Exchange of Nonresident Students with Other Districts: Districts Without High Schools" (PDF). Research Report No. 415 – Kentucky's Independent School Districts: A Primer. Frankfort, KY: Office of Education Accountability, Legislative Research Commission. September 15, 2015. pp. 49–50. Retrieved April 26, 2022. At the time of this report, another independent district, West Point in Hardin County, also did not operate a high school. The West Point district merged into the Hardin County district in 2020.