FRANKFORT, Ky. — Kentucky Department of Education leaders presented results showing the state's strong academic recovery progress to lawmakers during an Interim Joint Committee on Education meeting on Aug. 4, citing data from national benchmarking efforts and citing results that place Kentucky among the nation's top performers in student learning gains.

Between 2022 and 2025, Kentucky ranked 5th out of 35 states in reading and 8th out of 38 states in mathematics, according to the 2026 Education Scorecard, a collaboration between Harvard University, Stanford University and Dartmouth College. The scorecard combines state test results for roughly 35 million grade 3–8 students nationwide to assess where students' academic recovery stands from pandemic disruptions.

The presentation included analysis of National Assessment of Educational Progress data from 2024, the longest-running national student assessment. Jennifer Stafford, KDE's associate commissioner of the Office of Assessment and Accountability, noted that Kentucky's fourth-grade reading score increased to 218 in 2024 from 217 in 2022, exceeding national trends where the score fell to 214. Fourth-grade mathematics rose from 234 to 238, while eighth-grade mathematics increased from 269 to 271, even as national scores declined in both subjects.

State officials attributed the gains to intensive professional development and coaching systems. Fifteen Kentucky districts were identified as "Districts on the Rise," with Anderson County, Perry County, Marion County, Ohio County, Pike County and Corbin Independent Schools showing exceptional progress in both reading and math. The state's Read to Succeed Act, funded at $11 million in each year of the biennium, supports the Kentucky Early Literacy Leadership Network and annual summer conferences.

The 2026 NAEP results will be released in winter 2027, providing another benchmark for measuring the state's continued progress.