Positivity surrounding the teaching profession continues to rise among Kentucky educators, according to the 2025-2026 Impact Kentucky Working Conditions Survey. The Kentucky Department of Education (KDE) released results in early February from the latest survey, which asks all certified school staff a variety of questions about their working conditions.
The Impact Kentucky Survey is administered every two years. Certified educators working at least half-time are given the opportunity to provide input on teaching conditions that can be used to inform improvements within schools, districts and statewide.
A total of 40,462 educators responded, a 2% increase from the previous survey, representing 84.7% of all certified educators currently employed in public schools across the Commonwealth.
“We are seeing an increase in positive comments nearly across the board,” Commissioner of Education Robbie Fletcher said. “The work our educators and our communities are doing across the state to make things better for our teachers is showing results and, while the work continues, we should feel confident that we are on a good trajectory.”
Educators responded 80% favorably to questions about staff-leadership relationships, which was 2% higher than the previous report. A total of 76% of educators said they felt like they belong at their school, which was also an increase of 2% from the previous survey.
When it comes to questions about school climate, 67% of educators responded favorably, an increase of 4% from the previous survey. With questions about how schools and districts are managing student behavior, 69% responded favorably, which is a 3% increase from the 2023-2024 survey.
“Given how serious student behavior issues are within schools across the country, it is a good sign to see more Kentucky educators feel confident in their district’s ability to adequately handle situations and ensure a safe environment for everyone to learn,” Fletcher said.
Survey respondents also had a more positive view of school leadership, with 70% responding favorably to questions about the topic, an increase of 3% from the previous survey.
The only questions that received a lower number of educators responding favorably compared to the last survey dealt with technology, with 61% responding favorably to a question about how urgently their school’s technology needs to be updated, a 5% drop the previous survey.
“KDE’s Office of Education Technology has been on the forefront of emerging technology and how to sensibly integrate it into our classrooms,” Fletcher said. “This effort will continue as we work with our legislative partners in Frankfort on additional technology resources and navigate the growing landscape of tech in education.”
The full report and results can be viewed on the Impact Kentucky website. The results are open to the public and include statewide, district and school-specific results. The survey was administered by Panorama Education, in partnership with KDE.
The survey, administered Nov. 10-Dec. 19 focused on:
• Professional learning;
• Feedback and coaching;
• School leadership;
• Staff-leadership relationships;
• School climate;
• Resources;
• Managing student behavior;
• Educating all students; and
• Emotional well-being and belonging.
Fletcher said the survey is a tool available to districts to make improvements and examine their strengths.
“A lot of information is packed into the Impact Kentucky Survey that can initiate positive change for our districts, our educators and our students,” he said.
Kentucky Department of Education