Public + private high schools, every state.
Browse by state: AKALARAZCACOCTDCDEFLGAGUHIIAIDILINKSKYLAMAMDMEMIMNMOMSMTNCNDNENHNJNMNVNYOHOKORPAPRRISCSDTNTXUTVAVIVTWAWIWVWY
622
high schools (public + private)
518
public (171 districts)
104
private (NCES PSS)
46,283
public grade‑12 students (seniors, latest year)

KY public HS enrollment trend

Across the 193,145 students enrolled in KY brick-and-mortar public high schools in 2021, the state contracted -0.2% by 2024 (192,760 students, -385 net). That's the demographic tide every individual school is fighting or riding.

Charter share of public HS enrollment (latest year): 0.0% (0 of 192,760 students). Virtual / nonclassroom-based schools excluded.

State context · NAEP 2024

How does KY compare nationally?

The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) is the only test given the same way to students in every state — making it the benchmark for state-to-state academic comparison. Below, this state's 8th-grade averages and where it sits on the 50-state distribution.

8th-grade math
271
-2 vs national avg (273)
8th-grade reading
262
+2 vs national avg (260)
national avg KY Math → Reading → 260 290 245 275

Each dot is one state's 2024 NAEP 8th-grade averages. KY is highlighted in gold. Dashed lines mark national averages — being upper-right of both = above national in both subjects. Source: NAEP State Snapshot Reports. NAEP doesn't produce per-school scores — this is state-level context.

Where the students are

Top 10 cities by public-HS enrollment

Louisville 40 HS 24,195
Lexington 17 HS 13,053
Bowling Green 11 HS 6,674
Owensboro 8 HS 4,637
Union 2 HS 3,555
Georgetown 2 HS 3,059
Somerset 4 HS 2,874
Paducah 4 HS 2,766
Nicholasville 3 HS 2,494
Shepherdsville 2 HS 2,466

School-size distribution

Public, classroom-based · grades 9–12, latest year

Fastest-growing high schools
public, classroom-based · grade 9–12 · 2021→2024
The Academy @ Shawnee
Jefferson County
349→708 +102.9%
Marion County High School
Marion County
635→879 +38.4%
The Central Academy
Henderson County
191→254 +33.0%
Southern High
Jefferson County
1,311→1,718 +31.0%
Jeffersontown High
Jefferson County
916→1,188 +29.7%
Murray High School
Murray Independent
469→605 +29.0%
Doss High
Jefferson County
965→1,230 +27.5%
Eminence High School
Eminence Independent
249→311 +24.9%
Iroquois High
Jefferson County
1,043→1,298 +24.4%
Campbellsville High School
Campbellsville Independent
299→370 +23.7%
Fastest-shrinking high schools
public, classroom-based · grade 9–12 · 2021→2024
Western High
Jefferson County
791→406 -48.7%
Heritage Park High School
Daviess County
259→140 -45.9%
Fairview High School
Fairview Independent
232→170 -26.7%
College View Campus
Hardin County
208→163 -21.6%
Williamstown Sr. High
Williamstown Independent
253→200 -20.9%
Letcher County Central High School
Letcher County
861→689 -20.0%
Pineville Independent School
Pineville Independent
200→163 -18.5%
Breathitt County High School
Breathitt County
553→453 -18.1%
Lewis County High School
Lewis County
673→565 -16.0%
Powell County High School
Powell County
687→579 -15.7%

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