Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Lexington, Kentucky - 73 schools
An equity score of 64/100 ranks Fayette County #49 of 171 districts in Kentucky (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $15,849 per pupil, Fayette County ranks #9 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending (Kentucky districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Fayette County operates 73 public schools serving 41,422 students, placing it among the larger districts in Kentucky. The school portfolio breaks down into 38 combined, 15 elementary, 11 middle, 9 high schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage across a sizeable portfolio before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Fayette County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $15,849 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 18 of 171 Kentucky districts by per-pupil spending. See how Kentucky compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 49.8% local, 35.5% state, and 14.7% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 64/100, ranked #49 of 171 in Kentucky against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 9 of 73 schools offering Advanced Placement (125 AP courses district-wide), a 405.7:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 27.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 41.5% White, 25.0% African American, 21.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Fayette County Preschool Center, with a diversity index of 76.1/100.
Its largest campus is Lafayette High School, enrolling 2,370 students (6% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Ridge Hospital Alt. Elementary, at 1 students, a 2370x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Fayette County school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 2,370 students (highest), a spread of 2,369 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Fayette County is typically wider than the Fayette County-aggregate figure suggests.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22
This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.
Average demographic composition across 73 schools in Fayette County.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Fayette County's schools, above the Kentucky average of 34.5.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Kentucky districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boone County | Smaller | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Warren County | Smaller | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Hardin County | Smaller | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
| Kenton County | Smaller | Lower spending | Similar funding mix |
| Bullitt County | Smaller | Lower spending | Less locally funded |
Comparisons are relative to Fayette County's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Jefferson County →Fayette County has 73 schools, including 9 high, 11 middle, 38 combined, 15 elementary. Total enrollment is 41,422 students.
Fayette County spends $15,849 per student. The district has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #49 in Kentucky.
Fayette County students are 41.5% White, 25.0% African American, 21.5% Hispanic or Latino, 4.5% Asian, averaged across 73 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Fayette County has an equity score of 64/100, ranking #49 out of 171 districts in Kentucky.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.