Historic Progress Continues in Kentucky’s Second-Largest District

KDE Releases 2024-25 Accountability Ratings

Student achievement continues to climb in the Fayette County Public Schools, with two-thirds of campuses posting overall score increases and a second year of strong results for historically disadvantaged students, according to accountability ratings released just after midnight.

“For a second year in a row, all of our schools have surpassed federal thresholds for African-American and impoverished students,” said Superintendent Demetrus Liggins. “After decades of persistent disparities, FCPS has successfully shifted the trajectory of student success.”

The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) annually publishes state and federal ratings for schools and districts based on student performance on the Kentucky Summative Assessment and other measures of student success, including post-secondary readiness and graduation rates.

2025 results show:

• Students in Fayette County Public Schools continue to outperform state averages at every level.
• Greater percentages of students are scoring proficient or distinguished in reading and math.
• 75% of schools received “very high,” “high,” or “medium” ratings.
• All schools rated “very low” in 2024 moved up in 2025.
• Four-year graduation rates reached an all-time high of 92.4% in 2025.
• Postsecondary readiness rates rose from 77.5% in 2024 to 82.2% in 2025.
• 6,330 students were enrolled in dual-credit classes, earning college credit while in high school, and 19 of them completed associate degrees.
• 8,078 students earned career and technical certifications.

“While we celebrate that more students are graduating from high school, it is essential that they leave with more than a diploma,” Liggins said. “These scores show that our students have a plan for their future and the experiences, skills, and certifications to get them there.”

Strategic initiatives introduced over the past three years, which have focused on raising academic rigor and supporting students' needs, have been integral in driving this improvement.

“Data is an important tool that helps us measure progress and identify areas of opportunity and improvement, but multiple-choice exams cannot capture the extraordinary work of our educators or the strength, creativity, and talents of our students,” Liggins said. “We recognize the limitations of assessments confined to a few hours or days within an entire academic year.”

While celebrating these remarkable achievements, Liggins added, “Although we celebrate this historic accomplishment, I believe our students are so much more than a test. My vision for FCPS is for every child to receive a well-rounded, first-class education that includes experiences far beyond that which can be measured on an exam. That is what FCPS strives to do each day, as embodied in our Portrait of a Graduate.”

KSA Highlights in the News

Slide Deck of Key Points

Overall Scores by School

Rating System Explainer

The accountability system is designed to not only look at overall performance but also to determine whether schools are meeting the needs of individual students based on race, family income, English language proficiency for non-native speakers, and special education identification.

Schools are identified for Targeted Support and Intervention – also known as TSI – if scores for individual groups of students are below state benchmark levels. If gains are not made, schools are moved into a category called Additional Targeted Support and Intervention or ATSI.

According to Wednesday’s data release, two schools in FCPS were labeled TSI and 12 were labeled ATSI. Collectively, schools in the district are evaluated on the success of 326 demographic groups. In 2025, students in 94% of those groups met federal thresholds, with just 19 groups falling below benchmarks. That’s a 70% decrease from 64 groups in 2022.

“During the development of our strategic plan, our community expressed frustration that conversations about closing achievement gaps have been happening for the past 20 years,” Liggins said. “We will not be satisfied until all of our students reach their highest potential, but a 70% reduction in three years is significant.”

Kentucky’s accountability system establishes five performance ranges and an associated color for each: very low = red, low = orange, medium = yellow, high = green, or very high = blue.

In Fayette County:

• 12 schools received blue ratings
• 13 schools received green ratings
• 17 schools received yellow ratings
• 12 schools received orange ratings 
• 2 schools received red ratings

Liggins attributed the gains to our strategic efforts over the past three years to enhance the quality of instruction received by all students.

“This has involved increasing the rigor of the content we teach, aligning classroom lessons with state-mandated content and standards, and adding instructional coaching at every school,” he said. “Furthermore, we have implemented systems which allow teachers and principals to analyze student performance year-round and provide individualized support for students who need additional help and acceleration for students who have already demonstrated success.”

While the improvements are worth noting, he said, there is still work ahead. FCPS continues to see students who receive special education services or English language services not performing at the same level as their peers. The district is committed to closing this gap by continuing to implement proven strategies and addressing the unique needs of every child.

“We celebrate our progress but remain steadfast in our determination to ensure that every student has the support and resources they need to succeed,” Liggins said. “Our team will continue to work tirelessly to nurture the unique and limitless potential within each of our students.”