Kentucky in Top Tier of States for Education Recovery

Kentucky students are making meaningful academic gains, and the latest national data confirm something educators and families across the Commonwealth have been working toward for years: Kentucky is recovering from the pandemic faster than most states.

According to the newest Education Recovery Scorecard from researchers at Harvard, Stanford and Dartmouth, Kentucky ranks 8th out of 38 states nationally in math recovery and 5th out of 35 states in reading growth between 2022 and 2025. That places the Commonwealth among the top-performing states in the nation in helping students regain lost ground after COVID-19 disrupted learning.

Good Policy and Instructional Leadership Matter

Among the Scorecard’s findings are the fact that education outcomes were declining nationally long before the pandemic – in fact, since 2013. Researchers refer to this finding as a “learning recession” – one that will not reverse itself on its own; a return to progress requires intentional policy, targeted investment and instructional leadership. This makes the findings that Kentucky is among the states leading the nation that much more exciting.

The Education Recovery Scorecard provides genuine cause for optimism directly from Kentucky school districts. Anderson County, Perry County, Marion County, Ohio County, Corbin Independent and Pike County are outperforming their peers in both reading and math. Other districts, including Paducah Independent, Harlan County, Franklin County, Clay County and Daviess County, are demonstrating strong subject-specific growth.

These successes are not accidental. They are tied to intentional choices including evidence-based literacy instruction, strong coaching systems, teacher development, careful use of data, and leadership committed to improving classroom practice – as well as policy and targeted investment, like Kentucky’s Read to Succeed Act passed by the General Assembly in 2022.

Under the leadership of Superintendent Chris Brady, the Scorecard highlights Marion County Schools a District to Watch and offers one of the clearest examples of recovery. By aligning with the Read to Succeed Act, investing in LETRS training, strengthening instructional leadership and prioritizing authentic classroom engagement over excessive technology use, the district has created a roadmap for sustainable improvement, worthy of emulation by peer districts in the state.

Nationally, the Scorecard found that states passing policies that include a focus on the “science of reading” are leading the nation in literacy improvement. In Kentucky, we have certainly seen that as well, with a rebound from 29^th on 4^th grade NAEP in 2022 to 12^th in 2024. This reinforces important truths: instructional leadership matters, and policy makes a difference when implementation is strong.

Investment and Accountability Matter

The Scorecard finds that high poverty districts are recovering more quickly than middle income districts. The finding is attributed to the deeper federal investment for pandemic recovery in schools with high concentrations of students who receive free and reduced-price lunch. At 46^th nationally in median household income, Kentucky certainly benefitted from that deepened federal investment in high poverty schools and this may have contributed to our top ranking in the recovery scorecard. Those ESSER dollars have now run out, and many districts are and will be faced with budget challenges on the horizon.

While researchers debate the impact of money on improved education outcomes, they generally agree, even the most fiscally conservative, that targeted spending and investments in teaching excellence matter. We see this combination of targeted investment and focus on teaching quality in Kentucky’s story, especially in reading. The Read to Succeed Act invested over $22 million in its first two years, with the resources dedicated to professional learning for teachers. The Act is administered by the Kentucky Department of Education, and the General Assembly continues to invest in this strategy. The Department regularly reports on the impact as measured by improvements in student outcomes.

The Scorecard researchers also note that alongside the “learning recession” since 2013, there has been a move away from test-based accountability in the same time frame. It’s likely, they conclude, that less accountability has contributed to the declines in education outcomes. In Kentucky, while test-based accountability did not change much, there was significant churn in the policy environment during this time frame. Regular changes to the state’s accountability model and standards for learning, with little time for the system to adjust and educators to build confidence in the system to which they would be held accountable, likely resulted in similar impacts as wholesale moves away from state testing.

Staying in the Lead Means Building on this Strong Recovery

The findings above provide a cautionary tale for Kentucky: consistent, measurable accountability matters and targeted investment in effective solutions – primary among those investing in instructional leadership and excellence in teaching – will be necessary to continue to lead the nation in improvement.

The 2026 Scorecard is reason for celebration – and reinforcing of Kentucky’s aspiration to achieve top tier status nationally in education outcomes – no matter the economic barriers we face. Kentucky districts showing strong recovery today are emphasizing the foundational skills and competencies necessary for this launchpad: reading proficiency, instructional quality, critical thinking and student engagement.

The academic recovery must continue. In addition, these gains must be coupled with shared commitments to ensuring the high school diploma is true evidence of readiness for success and to removing barriers to career pathways, college enrollment, persistence, and attainment. Nationally, Kentucky ranks 4^th for high school graduation and 4^th from the bottom of the country in poverty. Our decades long march from the bottom of the national rankings in education to now middle and top tier on many indicators must be met with the opportunity for economic mobility.

The Commonwealth has examples of success worth studying. It has educators doing extraordinary work. It has communities proving improvement is achievable even in the face of significant challenges. There is only one way to go from here – Onward and Upward!