All but two of Northern Kentucky's public school districts had higher graduation rates than the state average, according to recently released report cards from the Kentucky Department of Education.
The state's four-year graduation rate for 2022 was 89.9%. While Covington Independent Schools had a 78.8% graduation rate and Grant County Schools had a 88.7% graduation rate last spring, all other schools in Boone, Campbell, Grant and Kenton counties scored above the state's average. Walton-Verona Independent Schools had the highest four-year graduation rate in the region at 99.4%.
NKY Blue Ribbon schools: Three Northern Kentucky schools gain National Blue Ribbon recognition
The state has a new rating system that uses colors instead of stars to indicate the overall performance of schools, districts and the state:
- Blue (highest).
- Green.
- Yellow.
- Orange.
- Red (lowest).
This is the first time since 2019 that the state has given ratings, due to the impacts of COVID-19. Ratings take into account the following indicators:
- Reading and math scores.
- Science, social studies and writing scores.
- Progress among English-learning students.
- Survey responses about the school's climate and safety.
- Graduation rates and postsecondary readiness.
“As expected, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a profound impact on our students and our schools as they continue to recover from the interrupted learning that occurred over the past two years,” Education Commissioner and Chief Learner Jason E. Glass said of Tuesday's report card release. "These assessment results will serve as the baseline from which we will move forward as we look to new and innovative learning opportunities for all of Kentucky’s students.
"There will be no quick fix for the challenges our students endured during the pandemic. It will take time and resources."
The results are consistent with what other states are experiencing, including Ohio which uses a star rating system. Cincinnati Public Schools scored mostly one and two stars out of five this year, which indicated the district is performing below state standards.
Ohio school report cards: Find your district in this searchable database
Enquirer analysis: How did southwest Ohio schools do on state report cards?
Glass said this year's report card data cannot be directly compared to previous years because the state has revamped its reporting system.
Northern Kentucky test results: Schools with economically disadvantaged students score lower than affluent districts
This spring's test results showed clearly the disparity between white, affluent schools in Northern Kentucky and the region's poorer, racially more diverse schools. That trend was seen across the state, too.
Bellevue Independent Schools' seventh graders had the worst scores in the state with just 4% of students testing at proficient or higher in science. Covington Independent Schools' students in grade 11 were not far behind with 6% of students testing at proficient or higher in writing.
In general, districts with 50% or more of students considered economically disadvantaged (Williamstown, Ludlow, Grant, Erlanger-Elsmere, Bellevue, Dayton, Covington and Newport) had lower scores than other districts in the area.
The region's most diverse schools also fell into the category of low scores. Less than 50% of Covington's and Newport's student bodies are white. Both of those districts received red ratings in at least one category.
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