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This brief examines historical data on various types of employment in Kentucky’s public schools. Publicly available annual data on staffing is available on the Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) and the U.S. Department of Education websites, though there are some differences in definitions and scope of coverage.
Key points:
Total school staffing in Kentucky’s K-12 education system grew 39% from 1990 to 2024, with non-teaching staff rising 57% compared to a 21% increase in teachers.
District-level staff increased 62% since 1993, far outpacing the 15% growth in school-level teachers, while student attendance dropped nearly 3%.
Despite a 10% decline in average daily attendance since 2013, per-pupil funding has soared an inflation-adjusted 136% since 1990, increasing from $8,400 to $19,700, and has continued to rise even after non-teacher staffing plateaued in 2013.
