Statement from Brigitte Blom, President/CEO of the Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence

Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee

(cell) 859-475-7202

lisa@prichardcommittee.org

The Prichard Committee Releases 2025 Groundswell Community Profiles

Profiles show strong points and weak spots on indicators of education and economic well-being for each Kentucky school district

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LEXINGTON, Ky — The Prichard Committee for Academic Excellence today released the 2025 Groundswell Community Profiles, offering an in-depth look at the state of education in each of Kentucky’s 171 school districts. These profiles provide key indicators of learning progress from early childhood through postsecondary education, enabling communities to compare local school district performance to state averages on critical education measures.

As part of its commitment to fostering community engagement in education, the Prichard Committee updates and publishes the Groundswell Community Profiles annually ensuring Kentuckians have access to essential local data on educational progress.  

“Real, lasting progress in education and economic outcomes happens when communities are deeply engaged at the local level,” said Prichard Committee President/CEO Brigitte Blom. “It’s up to all of us to take an active role in shaping the educational landscape of our commonwealth. The Groundswell Community Profiles are designed to spark local discussions on bridging educational gaps, using the unique strengths and resources of each community to build a brighter future for all Kentuckians.”

Beyond education, the profiles incorporate economic and health data linked to educational success, illustrating the long-term influence of learning on both individual and community well-being.

The profiles are a companion to the Big Bold Future National Rankings Report, which was released last week by the Prichard Committee. Although the National Rankings Report showed Kentucky is recovering from COVID-19 learning losses faster than most states, many of the quality-of-life indicators show Kentucky declining in the rankings among the 50 states or improving too slowly to move Kentucky up into the top 20 states within a decade.

“The 2025 Groundswell Community Profiles complement the Big Bold Future National Rankings Report, illustrating how improvements at the local level collectively raise Kentucky’s standing among all 50 states,” said Todd Baldwin, director of the Center for Best Practices and Innovation at the Prichard Committee. “By identifying each district’s strengths and needs, the profiles help communities tailor strategies that boost student success, enhance workforce readiness, and improve quality of life. As more local districts make measurable progress, Kentucky moves upward in the national rankings—proving that when every community thrives, the entire commonwealth benefits.”

To explore the 2025 Groundswell Community Profile for your school district, visit prichardcommittee.org/community-profiles.

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The Prichard Committee believes in the power and promise of public education –early childhood through college– to ensure Kentuckians’ economic and social well-being. We are a citizen-led, non-partisan, solutions-focused nonprofit, established in 1983 with a singular mission of realizing a path to a larger life for Kentuckians with education at the core.

Jan. 29, 2025

Contact: Lisa McKinney, Communications Director, The Prichard Committee

(cell) 859-475-7202

lisa@prichardcommittee.org

Kentucky Shows Promise with Post-COVID Test Scores

Scores are a call to action for communities, families, educators  

LEXINGTON, Ky -- The National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP) released their 2024 Nation’s Report Card today, which shows Kentucky is making progress on recovering from COVID-19 learning losses. NAEP scores are drawn from a representative sample of Kentucky 4th- and 8th-graders tested every two years in reading and math.

“In today’s NAEP release, Kentucky held its ground and even posted some gains during a period when results for many states declined,” said Prichard Committee President/CEO Brigitte Blom. “While the results do not show full recovery of recent losses—both during and before the pandemic—they do show Kentucky’s strength compared to national trends, even while our students face greater challenges and our schools work with fewer resources than the nation as a whole. These gains are a testament to the commitment of Kentucky educators to use the resources at their disposal effectively and efficiently.”

For 2024 percent proficient or above, Kentucky ranks among the states:

• 12th in grade 4 reading up from 29th in 2022  

• 26th in grade 8 reading up from 28th in 2022  

• 28th in grade 4 math up from 33rd in 2022

• 32nd in grade 8 math up from 41st in 2022

In percent of students reaching NAEP proficiency or above, Kentucky’s newest results are statistically tied with the nation in grade 4 reading, grade 8 reading and grade 4 math, with results below the nation in grade 8 math. Kentucky’s 4th-grade math results showed statistically significant improvement compared to 2022.

Kentucky’s results in 4th-grade reading and 8th-grade math and reading remained steady for percent proficient or above, which makes it the first year the commonwealth has stopped the backward slide that began prior to COVID-19 and was further exacerbated by the pandemic.  

“This data demonstrates that strategic investments in schools and evidenced-backed policy actions work to move the needle on education outcomes,” said Blom. “This is the moment for families, community members, state leaders and educators to rally together to build on these gains and continue in an upward trajectory through both local action and state policy.”

The Prichard Committee will release its biennial Big Bold Future national rankings report on Feb. 6, which includes the NAEP data as well as other indicators of educational achievement and quality of life. The report contextualizes the testing scores by looking at other indicators that affect education outcomes such as poverty levels and preschool participation. The Big Bold Future report will be available on prichardcommittee.org.  

LEXINGTON, Ky -- Congratulations to Gov. Andy Beshear on an inspiring and unifying State of the Commonwealth Address. Congratulations are also due for the many accomplishments in job creation and expansion of critical infrastructure like broadband and roads.

The Prichard Committee pledges to do its part to realize the Governor’s aspirations for the future of the state by continuing to work to ensure every Kentuckian has access to a meaningful education that imparts the knowledge and individual skills necessary to strengthen today’s workforce – and to be the job creators of Kentucky’s future.

We share the governor’s optimism that when Kentuckians work together toward shared goals, we have what it takes to build a better commonwealth for every family. In fact, we’ve proven that is true with education improvements of the past – and we must renew that commitment to stronger outcomes, with urgency, in the immediate years ahead.

With the 2025 General Assembly session upon us, top priorities to realize such improvements, include:

• Ensuring access to advanced coursework so Kentucky students prepared for higher level learning can excel; this is critical for the future of STEM fields like space science, advanced manufacturing, and healthcare.  
• Continuing to strengthen postsecondary education – where individuals and families gain skills for the workforce and realize increased social mobility as a result – which, in turn, strengthens our P12 education outcomes.  
• Broadening access to childcare for working families by creating the conditions for the small, often women-owned, business to grow, particularly in areas of the state where far too little high-quality childcare exists.

We look forward to working with the Governor and the General Assembly to make the vision of a big, bold future for every Kentuckian a reality.