Summary
Fairdale High is a public magnet high school located in Fairdale, Kentucky, serving grades 9-12 with a total enrollment of 1,401 students. The school is part of the Jefferson County school district, which is ranked 140 out of 157 districts in Kentucky and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger. Fairdale High has consistently ranked in the bottom quarter of Kentucky high schools over the past several years, with a ranking between 197 and 254 out of the state's 254-276 high schools during the period from 2015-2016 to 2024-2025.
Fairdale High consistently underperforms compared to the Jefferson County and Kentucky state averages on standardized tests, with proficiency rates that are significantly lower across all subject areas. For example, in the 2024-2025 school year, Fairdale High's 10th-grade proficiency rates were 21% in Mathematics, 28% in Reading, and 31% in Writing, compared to the district averages of 30%, 36%, and 35%, respectively, and the state averages of 41%, 47%, and 45%. The school's performance on the ACT exam is also well below the district and state averages.
Fairdale High's challenges appear to be rooted in a combination of socioeconomic factors and resource allocation issues. The school has a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds, with 62.81% to 75.56% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch in recent years. However, the school's per-student spending is relatively high, ranging from $17,549 to $21,812 per student in recent years, which is higher than the state average. This suggests that the resources may not be effectively targeted or utilized to improve student outcomes. Nearby schools in the Jefferson County district, such as Valley High, Marion C. Moore School, Iroquois High, and Southern High, also perform below the state averages on academic measures, but generally outperform Fairdale High.
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