Lexington high school wins 24th state marching band championship. See the final results

A Lexington high school clinched its 24th marching band title Saturday night in Louisville, winning the Class 5A state finals.

Lafayette High School placed first in its class in the all-day Kentucky Music Educators Association Championships, an annual competition that features the state’s top 30 bands in five classes. Each class features the top six bands, which compete for the No. 1 spot.

Lafayette High placed first in Class 5A with a score of 93.3. Lafayette won the title in 2023 with a score of 93.5. This year, the band performed a themed show titled “4 Nations.”

Madison Central High School, the 5A state champion in 2022, placed second with a score of 89.65, followed by Paul Laurence Dunbar High School and Larry A. Ryle High School in Union. Competitive classes are determined by the size of the school and the size of the band.

Bands are judged on a scale of zero to 100 by a panel of six judges, who evaluate musical performance, visual performance and general effect.

In Class 1A, Mayfield High School took home first place. Estill County High School won first place in Class 2A.

First place was awarded to Murray High School in Class 3A. Anderson County High School took home first place in Class 4A with a score of 88.85.

Here’s the full list of results:

Class 5A

1. Lafayette High School

2. Madison Central High School

3. Paul Laurence Dunbar High School

4. Larry A. Ryle High School

5. George Rogers Clark High School

6. Henry Clay High School

Class 4A

1. Anderson County High School

2. Harrison County High School

3. Christian County High School

4. Daviess County High School

5. Madisonville-North Hopkins High School

6. Calloway County High School

Class 3A

1. Murray High School

2. Bourbon County High School

3. Russell County High School

4. Hopkinsville High School

5. Adair County High School

6. Taylor County High School

Class 2A

1. Estill County High School

2. Beechwood High School

3. Hancock County High School

4. Mercer County High School

5. Lloyd Memorial High School

6. Christian Academy of Louisville

Class 1A

1. Mayfield High School

2. Nicholas County High School

3. Washington County High School

4. Owensboro Catholic High School

5. Lee County High School

6. Williamstown High School

Taylor Six

Lexington Herald-Leader

Taylor Six is the criminal justice reporter at the Herald-Leader. She was born and raised in Lexington attending Lafayette High School. She graduated from Eastern Kentucky University in 2018 with a degree in journalism. She previously worked as the government reporter for the Richmond Register.