Kentucky was relatively slow to establish and support its public education system and has consistently ranked below the national average in per capita spending on education and in the educational attainments of its citizens. In 2000, only 74.1% of all adults had completed four years of high school, well below the national average of 80.4%; only 17.1% had completed four or more years of college, below the national average of 24.4%. Expenditures per pupil on education by state and local governments totaled $5,876 in 1999/2000, below the national average of $6,356. Expenditures for public education in 2000/01 were estimated at $4,256,345.
The total enrollment for fall 1999 in Kentucky's public schools stood at 648,607. Of these, 458,607 attended schools from kindergarten through grade eight, and 189,573 attended high school. Minority students made up approximately 12% of the total enrollment in public elementary and secondary schools in 2001. Total enrollment was estimated at 623,231 in fall 2000 but is expected to rise again to 651,000 by fall 2005. Enrollment in nonpublic schools in fall 2001 was 75,084.
As of fall 2000, there were 182,051 students enrolled in institutions of higher education. In the same year Kentucky had 69 degree-granting institutions. In 1997, minority students comprised 9.7% of total postsecondary enrollment. Kentucky's higher education facilities include 26 colleges and universities, 3 junior colleges, and 14 community colleges. The University of Kentucky, established in 1865 at Lexington, is the state's largest public institution. The University of Louisville (1798) is also state supported. Loans and grants to Kentucky students are provided by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority.
In 1990 the Kentucky Education Reform Act established SEEK (Support Education Excellence in Kentucky). SEEK is a program that balances the available education dollars among poor and wealthy counties.