During a recent work session on academic and other data, first-year schools Superintendent Lori Jones told members of the Woodford County Board of Education (BOE) “that’s where we’re headed” when asked why Woodford County Public Schools (WCPS) is not a high- or top-performing Kentucky school district, as measured by Kentucky’s state assessment.

In response to BOE Vice Chair Ambrose Wilson’s question about why WCPS isn’t there now, Jones said, “I can’t answer that. I showed up six months ago.”

Later, she cited several factors to become a high- or top-performing school district, including focus and getting everyone engaged.

“Sometimes,” she said, “it’s just getting everybody on the same page … but we’re going to be there.”

For students who are struggling and do not have support at home for a variety of reasons, having more academic rigor, Wilson said, will mean “they’re going to get further behind.”

“That’s the great thing about having an incredible staff,” said Jones. “Hands-down,” she added, WCPS has the best Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS) in the state that “I’ve ever seen.”

Academic data showed the overall percentage of students in WCPS at proficient/distinguished levels of performance was above the state average in most assessed areas. The data also revealed the number of students receiving special education and English Language (EL) services performing at the novice level on the state assessment “is higher than it needs to be, and our proficient and distinguished is lower,” Asher told the BOE at the Feb. 10 meeting.

Later, Asher said the district’s focus is getting students who receive special education and EL services out of the novice level. Even if students in those sub-groups only move up to the apprentice level, that’s “a measure toward proficiency,” he said.

The data work session began with Asher reviewing student enrollment, which has remained consistently around 4,000 in recent years. The enrollment was up to 4,207 students in 2020 before dropping to 4,006 in 2022, rising again to 4,104 in 2025 before dropping to 4,048 in 2026, according to data shared with the BOE.

The data also showed the number of kindergarteners who are currently in the elementary schools (232 students) is lower than the average for the other five grades (286 students). And the student enrollment at three of the district’s four elementary schools is down this year compared to last year.

The only elementary school that grew this year was Simmons, but only by three students (371 to 374). Enrollment was down in the other elementary schools, with Southside having the largest drop, declining from 572 students in 2025 to 532 in 2026, the data showed.

Enrollment at the middle and high schools has also stayed consistent, with just over 1,200 students at WCHS and just over 900 students at WCMS, where that number dropped to 895 this year.

Student demographics were also shared with BOE members. The data showed 69.87 percent of students are white, with the largest minority student population being Hispanic at 18.54 percent, according to the data.

Of the 331 certified staff in schools, including teachers, counselors and administrators, 268 are female and 63 are male. Of the 271 teachers included in the demographic data for WCPS, five self-identified as African American, five self-identified as Hispanic or Latino and two as being of two or more races. However, it was noted that 74 of the 271 teachers in WCPS did not indicate race/ethnicity.

The BOE learned about how the district is assessing student academic progress during the school year, and how breaking down testing data and training is used to improve instruction. That led to a discussion about tools used to measure student progress and how well tools, specifically iReady, do in terms of predicting student performance on the state assessment.