Fayette County middle school test scores improve, other schools hold steady

Middle schools in Fayette County increased one spot to Kentucky’s second-highest rating during the 2024-2025 school year, according to statewide data released Wednesday.

Fayette County’s elementary and high schools remained at the third-highest rating, the same as the year before.

In Kentucky’s color-coded assessment for school performance during the 2024-2025 school year, districts receive indicator ratings that correspond to colors — blue (the highest), green, yellow, orange and red (the lowest).

Several factors go into the indicator ranking, including test scores, school climate and safety and, for high schools, graduation rate and post-secondary readiness.

Elementary and high schools in Fayette County each received a yellow rating, and middle schools received a green rating.

Individually in Fayette County, 10 elementary schools received blue ratings, six elementary schools received green ratings, 10 received yellow, 10 received orange, and two schools received red — Russell Cave and Cardinal Valley elementary schools.

The following elementary schools received a blue rating:

• Veterans Park Elementary
• SCAPA at Bluegrass
• Cassidy Elementary School
• Athens-Chilesburg Elementary
• Rosa Parks Elementary School
• Wellington Elementary
• Maxwell Spanish Immersion Elementary School
• Clays Mill Elementary School
• Glendover Elementary School
• Meadowthorpe Elementary School

Clays Mill Elementary also ranked seventh-best of any elementary school statewide.

Russell Cave Elementary was one of 53 schools across the state — the bottom 5% — that was federally classified as needing comprehensive state intervention.

Two middle schools in Fayette County received blue ratings — SCAPA at Bluegrass and Edythe Jones Hayes.

Five middle schools received green ratings, three received yellow, two received orange and none received the lowest red rating.

Among high schools, none received blue ratings, two received green ratings, four received yellow ratings, and none received red

Clays Mill received the highest overall rating among Fayette County elementary schools, and Russell Cave received the lowest.

SCAPA at Bluegrass received the highest rating among middle schools, and Winburn Elementary School received the lowest.

Among high schools, Lafayette High School scored the highest, and Henry Clay High School scored the lowest.

Bryan Station High School, which ranked the lowest in Fayette County last year, jumped from sixth to third, and Henry Clay dropped from third to sixth.

Fayette County Public Schools Superintendent Demetrus Liggins said Tuesday he is very pleased with the results and the progress made.

“We have a very talented teaching staff and leadership and support system in place to where we’re focusing on kids,” Liggins said. “That has certainly been my focus from day one, and I’m glad that we’re continuing to make that progress.”

After taking the state’s standardized tests, each student is given a score of novice (the lowest), apprentice, proficient, or distinguished (the highest) in several subjects.

District-wide in Fayette County, 52% of elementary school students scored proficient or distinguished in reading, and 48% scored proficient or distinguished in math. Twenty-three percent of students scored novice in reading, and 26% scored novice in math.

Among middle school students, 52% scored proficient or distinguished in reading, and 46% scored proficient or distinguished in math. A little more than 26% of students scored novice in reading, and 28% scored novice in math.

And in high schools, 49% of students scored proficient or distinguished in reading, and 42% scored proficient or distinguished in math. Meanwhile, 29% scored novice in reading, and 33% scored novice in math.

Elementary schools

Of the 38 elementary schools in Fayette County, 18 reported that at least 50% of students scored proficient or distinguished in reading.

The top-performing schools were:

• SCAPA at Bluegrass, 84% of students proficient or distinguished in reading.
• Clays Mill Elementary, 80%.
• Cassidy Elementary, 76%.
• Rosa Parks Elementary, 76%.

Cardinal Valley Elementary had more than 50% of students test novice in reading.

In math, 17 of the district’s 38 elementary schools reported at least half of students testing proficient or distinguished.

Two schools — Russell Cave and Arlington elementary schools — reported more than half of their students testing novice in math.

Middle schools

At the middle school level in Fayette County, eight of the district’s 12 schools reported that at least 50% of students tested proficient or distinguished in reading, an increase from five schools last year.

The top-performing schools were:

• SCAPA at Bluegrass, 84%.
• Edythe Jones Hayes, 71%.
• Jessie M. Clark, 57%.

Winburn Middle School had more than 45% of students test novice in reading.

In math, five of the district’s 12 middle schools reported that at least half of students tested proficient or distinguished. Two of the 12 had more than 45% test novice in math: Lexington Middle School and Winburn Middle School.

High schools

Three of the district’s six schools reported at least half of their students tested proficient or distinguished in reading.

• Lafayette High School, 63%.
• Paul Laurence Dunbar, 57%.
• Henry Clay High School, 51%.
• Frederick Douglass High School, 47%
• Tates Creek High School, 43%.
• Bryan Station High School, 40%.

In math, two schools reported at least 50% of students tested proficient or distinguished.

• Lafayette, 55%.
• Paul Laurence Dunbar, 53%.
• Henry Clay, 48%.
• Frederick Douglass, 39%.
• Tates Creek, 35%.
• Bryan Station 28%.

Every high school in Fayette County has a graduation rate above 93%.

• Lafayette, 98.4%.
• Frederick Douglass, 96.8%.
• Tates Creek, 96.1%.
• Bryan Station, 94.5%.
• Dunbar, 94.2%.
• Henry Clay, 93.9%.

Liggins cites achievement gap progress

For the second year in a row, no schools were flagged for low achievement among its African American/Black and economically disadvantaged student population. Liggins described this as a historic achievement.

“This is something we work very hard on and continue to work to ensure we are doing all that we can to narrow the achievement gap between all of our students,” Liggins said.

About 75% of schools in the district achieved medium, high or very high ratings in 2025.

Sixteen schools in the district had a higher color rating in 2025 than in 2024. Every very low-rated school in 2024 improved in 2025.

As an entire district, Fayette County schools scored higher than the state average. The district also outperformed Jefferson County Public Schools, the largest school district in Kentucky.

“We’re very proud to say that again, we outperformed the state in every single one of these areas as well as the Jefferson County Public Schools, which is the next largest school (district) next to us.”

Graduation rates in Fayette County schools also continue to rise. The four-year graduation rate is 92.4%, and the five-year-graduation rate is 94.4%

“Our students are so much more than their test scores,” Liggins said. “As we know, they are problem solvers, leaders, innovators.”

Christopher Leach contributed to this report.

This story was originally published November 19, 2025 at 5:05 AM.