Understanding the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA)
Each year, Kentucky students in grades 3–8 and 10–11 participate in the Kentucky Summative Assessment (KSA), the statewide measure of student learning aligned to Kentucky Academic Standards. KSA evaluates performance in Reading, Mathematics, Science, Social Studies, Writing, and the Quality of School Climate and Safety (QSCS) survey. For high school students, accountability also includes additional factors such as postsecondary readiness and graduation rate. Kentucky’s accountability system classifies schools into performance levels based on achievement, growth, and readiness indicators, providing schools and districts with meaningful, comparable data to guide improvement and monitor long-term trends.
Elementary State and Regional Rankings
Garrard County’s elementary schools posted outstanding results in this year’s accountability cycle, placing our district among the highest-performing elementary systems in Kentucky. Collectively, our three elementary schools ranked 13th out of 172 districts statewide, placing Garrard County in the top 8% in Kentucky, and earning the position of #2 in the CKEC (Central Kentucky Education Cooperative) Region. These results highlight the strength of our instructional work, the consistency across buildings, and the dedication of our staff and students. Each elementary school also earned strong individual rankings among the 717 elementary schools across the state, further demonstrating the depth and breadth of our districtwide success.
Districtwide Elementary Performance:
13th of 172 districts statewide (Top 8%)
#2 in the CKEC Region
Individual School Rankings (out of 717 schools):
Camp Dick Robinson: Ranked 78th — Top 11%
Lancaster Elementary: Ranked 86th — Top 12%
Paint Lick Elementary: Ranked 159th — Top 23%
Districtwide Elementary Highlights
Across the district, our elementary schools continue to demonstrate remarkable three-year gains, particularly in reducing novice performance and increasing the number of students reaching proficiency. Garrard County’s elementary schools have collectively achieved substantial improvements across all subject areas, with two schools earning Blue (Very High) status and the third earning Green (High). These improvements show a clear pattern: novice levels that once sat in the mid-30s or even 40 percent range have dropped into the teens and, in some subjects, to single digits. Proficiency levels, meanwhile, have risen steadily each year, reflecting strong instructional systems and consistent use of data to drive learning.
This sustained upward trend places the district’s elementary performance among the strongest in recent years and highlights the effectiveness of districtwide collaboration, alignment of curriculum, and implementation of consistent instructional practices.
Individual Elementary School Highlights
Camp Dick Robinson Elementary – Blue (Very High) – 86.8 Overall
Camp Dick Robinson continued its pattern of high performance, cutting Reading novice in half to just 8% and boosting Writing proficiency from 63% to 80%. Since 2022, the school has achieved significant math growth, increasing proficiency by 13% while reducing novice by 12%.
Lancaster Elementary – Blue (Very High) – 86.1 Overall
Lancaster Elementary posted substantial three-year gains, dropping math novice from 35% to 8% and raising proficiency from 40% to 68%. Reading also showed strong upward movement over the past year, with novice reduced by 13% and proficiency increased by 10%. The school cut novice by more than half in Science and Writing.
Paint Lick Elementary – Green (High) – 79.5 Overall
Paint Lick Elementary earned High performance in every indicator, including Reading, Math, Science, Social Studies, Writing, and the QSCS survey. With only 7% novice in Reading and Writing and a 26% reduction in math novice over three years, Paint Lick continues to demonstrate strong, consistent performance improvement.
Middle School and High School District Highlights
Garrard Middle School demonstrated expected growth this year, particularly in areas tied to school climate, student engagement, and academic progress. The Quality of School Climate and Safety index rose markedly—from 56 to 71.9—indicating that students are experiencing stronger relationships, safer environments, and more positive connections at school. Academically, the middle school saw encouraging gains: Writing proficiency increased by 10%, suggesting improvements in students’ ability to communicate clearly and effectively. Social Studies also showed signs of growth, with novice performance dropping and proficiency rising, reflecting ongoing attention to content-rich instruction and stronger alignment across grade levels.
At the high school level, Garrard County High School continues to strengthen its trajectory. The school earned a Green (High) rating with an overall score of 73.9 and demonstrated notable improvement in critical areas tied to college and career readiness. Postsecondary Readiness rose from 99 to 111.9, signaling that more students are leaving high school equipped for the next step—whether college, career training, military service, or the workforce. The graduation rate increased to a full 100%, reflecting the school’s commitment to monitoring progress, supporting students, and ensuring that every senior crosses the finish line. Additionally, Science saw a substantial one-year increase of 23% proficiency, representing one of the most significant single-year gains.
Together, the middle and high school results show a positive upward trend. Although the scale of novice reduction has not yet reached the dramatic levels seen in elementary schools, the district is encouraged by early progress and the steady adoption of proven systems and structures that have already transformed elementary outcomes.
Connecting the Work: From Elementary Success to Systemwide Growth
The strong elementary results are the product of deliberate, sustained work around instructional systems, and these same systems are now taking root at the middle and high school levels. Districtwide improvements have been driven by high-quality professional learning focused on the instructional core, including alignment between tasks, standards, and assessments, strengthening teacher clarity, increasing rigor, and deepening student engagement. Teachers and leaders have emphasized curriculum congruency, ensuring students are taught and assessed on high-quality, standards aligned content.
District and school teams regularly examine i-Ready benchmark predictions, common unit assessments, and daily formative checks to adjust instruction and support individual learners. Quality control processes ensure that curriculum maps and assessments remain aligned and rigorous. Throughout the year, professional learning communities engage in structured data analysis, examining trends across classrooms and grade levels. A districtwide emphasis on student discourse, problem solving, and critical thinking routines continues to elevate instructional quality.
This model of shared learning, with elementary schools coming together for professional growth, alignment, and collaborative problem solving, now guides work at the secondary level as well. Garrard Middle School and Garrard County High School have begun implementing the same systems that have proven effective at elementary schools, setting the stage for continued improvement and deeper learning across the district.
Districtwide Recognition and Status
The district’s steady academic growth, strong improvements in key indicators, and consistent performance across schools reflect the commitment of staff, the resilience of students, and the shared focus on high-quality instruction.
Garrard County Schools’ Director of Teaching and Learning, Holly Young, shared her perspective on the district’s 2025 KSA results:
“Our 2025 Kentucky Summative Assessment results reflect the hard work and dedication of our students, teachers, and leaders across all grade levels,” said Holly Young, Garrard County Schools Director of Teaching and Learning. “Our elementary schools continue to demonstrate strong achievement and growth, and we are proud of the progress in our middle and high schools, where we’ve seen decreases in novice performance and gains in proficiency across some areas. These results show that our focused improvement efforts are making a difference. As a district, we are united by our commitment to a growth culture, to standards-driven instruction, and to data-informed decisions that keep students at the center. Together, we are building momentum toward deeper learning and continued success for every student in Garrard County Schools.”
Districtwide Overall Rankings
Garrard County Schools achieved a strong districtwide performance in this year’s accountability release, ranking 39th out of 172 districts in Kentucky, placing the district in the top 23% statewide. This year’s results also show significant improvement within the Central Kentucky Education Cooperative, where Garrard County ranked 5th out of 32 districts overall—up from 7th last year. At each level, the district performed competitively across the region, ranking 2nd out of 32 at the elementary level, 14th out of 32 at the middle school level, and 12th out of 32 at the high school level, demonstrating competitive performance among peer districts across Central Kentucky.
Garrard County Schools Superintendent Dr. Kevin Stull shared his appreciation and pride for the district’s continued progress:
“I am proud of the hard work our students, staff, and leaders are showing across all of our schools. Their efforts—and the results we are seeing—show that the systems we’ve put in place, such as focused instruction, an aligned curriculum, and support grounded in real data, are working and truly helping our students grow. We see this growth not only in our state assessment results, but in the learning that happens every single day.
We’re excited about this progress, and equally excited about what comes next. We know our work isn’t done, and we remain intentional about how we continue to strengthen and improve these systems. Garrard County students deserve our very best, and they prove every day that they are capable of achieving great things. Together, we look forward to building on our current momentum and reaching even greater levels of success.”