New Report – KYA and True Up Examine Education Outcomes of Kentucky Youth with Foster Care Experience

Interactive report features key data on outcomes and barriers to success and offers policy recommendations

Louisville, KY – Students with foster care experience bring unique strengths and perspectives to our classrooms; they also face trauma and systemic hurdles that can make the climb toward graduation and beyond more difficult. To support more informed, data-driven responses, Kentucky Youth Advocates and True Up are launching the Education Outcomes for Foster Youth in Kentucky Interactive Report.

Released during National Foster Care Month, this new interactive report offers key available data on the experiences of foster youth across the Commonwealth, including education outcomes, graduation rates, college and career readiness, and more. 

“School was and still is my safe space. There’s structure and stability that I enjoy and need, whereas my home life was always in transition as a youth,” shared Kwanita Allen, a member of the True Up Peer Network with experience in foster care. 

Here are a few key takeaways on the education challenges youth with foster care experience in Kentucky face and opportunities for building a more supportive system:

  • Over one-third of students in foster care experience chronic absenteeism due to disruptions in placements that can lead to inconsistent attendance and gaps in enrollments.  
  • Students in foster care fall behind their peers early in reading, math, and writing and these gaps grow throughout middle and high school, often driven by instability of placements and trauma that disrupt learning. 
  • Eighty-one percent of students in foster care graduated on time in the 2023-2024 school year, compared to 93% of their peers. 
  • Students in foster care are around 30% less likely to experience postsecondary readiness than their peers. 
  • Utilization of Kentucky’s Tuition Waiver for Foster and Adopted Children has steadily increased over the past decade, along with the graduation rate of first-time, full-time students utilizing the waiver – increasing from 7.8% in 2013-2014 to 38.9% in 2022-2023.

“While in out of home care, the quality and level of education I received was inadequate, often a grade or two or more behind my actual grade level. The lack of consistent education made reintegration into public school curriculum extremely painful,” said Sarah Ritchey, a member of the True Up Peer Network.    

The report also features innovative programs and policy solutions, rooted in the expertise of young people who have navigated the system firsthand. Earn & Learn, an initiative sponsored by the Department for Community Based Services, is one example of a program supporting current and former foster youth to access the academic and concrete supports they need to succeed in school and prepare for adulthood. 

Here are examples of recommendations to increase educational stability, protect progress in K-12 education, and support completion of postsecondary education: 

  • Standardize and enforce clear, consistent processes for transportation of K-12 students in foster care to their school of origin, including how transportation is arranged, communicated, and reimbursed.
  • Require full and partial credit transfer when K-12 students in foster care change schools due to placement changes so they are not placed behind or into lower-level coursework.
  • Designate a campus point of contact to support college students utilizing the Tuition Waiver, including clearly defined roles and responsibilities for coordinating financial aid, academic support, and student services.

“Young people with foster care experience face unique hurdles to succeeding in K-12 education and continuing their education after graduation. The good news is that there are leaders – in the Governor’s Administration, the General Assembly, and across communities – committed to improving those outcomes in partnership with impacted young people. Understanding the opportunities and challenges through data and the insights of impacted youth is an important step,” said Dr. Shannon Moody, Chief Policy & Strategy Officer of Kentucky Youth Advocates.    

The webinar launching the report featured remarks from foster care alumni, a presentation on the interactive report, and a facilitated conversation on improving outcomes for young people with foster care experience with state Representative Samara Heavrin, Department for Community Based Services Commissioner Lesa Dennis, and Dr. Tara Rodriguez, Director of the Division of School and Program Improvement at the Kentucky Department of Education. 

Check out the Education Outcomes for Foster Youth in Kentucky Interactive Report and watch a recording of the webinar at trueupky.org/learn. 

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Kentucky Youth Advocates believes all children deserve to be safe, healthy, and secure. As THE independent voice for Kentucky’s children, we work to ensure policymakers create investments and policies that are good for children. Learn more at kyyouth.org.

True Up is a movement dedicated to elevating the voices of young people who have experienced foster care to advocate for systems reform in Kentucky. It is an initiative of Kentucky Youth Advocates — learn more at trueupky.org.