A virtual academy in Kentucky has had 3 years of low scores. What to know
A Kentucky school district with a virtual academy saved by state lawmakers in 2025 has now logged a third straight year of poor academic performance. Cloverport Independent’s elementary, middle and high school levels all received the state’s lowest ratings in 2024, 2025 and into 2026, though some grade levels showed modest gains this year. FULL STORY: KY lawmakers saved a virtual school. Now it has 3 straight years of bad scores Here are five key things to know from our reporting: Enrollment imbalance: Cloverport Independent has 230 in-person K-12 students, while 2,073 students attend its Kentucky Virtual Academy — about 90% of the district’s total enrollment. Latest scores: In October, 2026 results showed Cloverport elementary students remained at a “red” rating, the state’s lowest, while middle and high school levels rose slightly to “orange.” Superintendent’s response: Keith Haynes said many virtual students “were not experiencing success in traditional schools and came to us with significant academic deficits,” and told families he doesn’t believe the state’s accountability model “adequately accounts for our context.” How it stayed open: The 2025 General Assembly passed legislation barring enrollment caps on virtual academies, overriding a Kentucky Department of Education rule that would have limited virtual
