Education

Northern Kentucky’s Educational Assets Create the Talent of Tomorrow
Lifelong Training and Certifications Fuel Current Labor Requirements for Economic Development Projects

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region’s educational assets produce high-quality graduates ready to enter the competitive and cutting-edge workforce. The region is committed to preparing students and area residents to meet the demands of the increasingly high-tech business environment, from the field of informatics to advanced manufacturing and research and development.

Northern Kentucky Education Council

The Northern Kentucky Education Council advances education for the Northern Kentucky community, one student at a time. This organization promotes communication among public and private school systems, post-secondary institutions, the business community, and government agencies about educational issues. The Council serves as a catalyst for collaboration, change, and progress toward regional educational goals. The energy and commitment generated through this effort is important to improving the quality of education in the Northern Kentucky region.

The Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky region has received a wealth of accolades for providing state-of-the-art and high quality educational programs and facilities to the region:

  • Kentucky ranks in the Top 10 in the nation for Education Week’s “Quality Counts” report, which is an annual assessment of all states on key indicators such as:
    • K-12 achievement
    • Standards, assessments and accountability
    • Teaching profession
    • School finance
    • Transitions and alignment
    • Chance for success (an index that combines information from 13 indicators that cover state residents’ lives from cradle to career)
  • Cincinnati MSA ranked #7 on list of America's Most Literate Cities, 2011
  • The University of Cincinnati’s College of Design, Architecture, Art and Planning (DAAP) was ranked 3rd in Business Insider’s list of the World’s Best Design Schools (2012)
  • Xavier University in Cincinnati was ranked 4th best college in the Midwest by U.S. News & World Report, 2012
  • At 62,700, Kentucky’s public and private institutions awarded a record number of degrees and credentials during the 2010-2011 academic year (Kentucky Council on Postsecondary Education)
  • Juniors at Beechwood High School in Northern Kentucky received the second highest composite ACT score in Kentucky in 2012, and highest scores in the state for English and Science (Kentucky Department of Education, 2012)
  • Juniors at all 22 Northern Kentucky public schools had higher composite ACT scores than the Kentucky average, with 13 schools topping their scores from the previous year (Kentucky Department of Education, 2011)

More than 49 Universities, Colleges and Technical Schools are located within less than a sixty-minute drive from any location in the Greater Cincinnati metro area. The total enrollment for these institutions of higher learning is nearly 300,000 students and more than 51,000 graduates seeking advanced degrees.

Colleges & Universities

Northern Kentucky University


Dedicated in 2011, the new $53 million Griffin Hall, home of the College of Informatics, will graduate students who are savvy about information technology, who are accomplished communicators and who are intellectually agile ‘renaissance people’ for the information age.

Informatics is the art, science and engineering of information and communication in its broadest social context and its most focused technical details. According to Fortune magazine, nine of the twenty fastest growing occupations over the next decade will be related to informatics. NKU’s College of Informatics is one of only a few schools of its kind in the country, offering nine Bachelor's degrees, five Master's degrees, and a variety of certificates in the field of informatics.

NKU is #1 among Kentucky universities in percentage growth for bachelor’s degrees awarded with a 58% increase in bachelor degrees awarded over the past 10 years. (Source: NKU Report to the House Budget Review Sub-committee on Postsecondary Education, Jan. 2010).

Northern Kentucky University offers 70 bachelor's degrees, six associate degrees, 20 graduate programs, one Juris Doctor and one Doctor of Education in Educational Leadership, and more than 30 graduate certificates. By 2020, NKU will be on track to support 50,000 new jobs planned to open in the Northern Kentucky area.

Gateway Community and Technical College

With three locations in Northern Kentucky, Gateway Community and Technical College ranks among the 50 Fastest Growing Community Colleges its size in the nation (between 2,500-4,999 students). (Community College Week, 2010). The college offers more than 200 credentials, including associate degrees, diplomas and certificates, in 30 program areas.

Center for Advanced Manufacturing

Located in the heart of the largest concentration of manufacturing firms in Northern Kentucky, the Center for Advanced Manufacturing was designed in collaboration with the region’s large manufacturing base and serves as a state-of-the-art facility to prepare, train and retrain the region’s workforce with 21st century skills. Targeted and specific training programs strengthen the global competitive position of Northern Kentucky manufacturers by creating a pipeline of young workers with a wide variety of skills required in advanced manufacturing and related fields.

The Center for Advanced Manufacturing recently won an award for its Manufacturing Pipeline Initiatives Program.

The Center for Advanced Manufacturing has the capacity to train 10,000 workers serving 400 companies a year, with 103,000 square feet of advanced learning classrooms, labs, and administrative space, instructional space and high-tech equipment. Gateway’s manufacturing programs include:

  • Industrial maintenance
  • Computer-assisted drafting
  • Welding
  • Advanced machine tooling
  • Robotics
  • Engineering technology
  • Electrical technology
  • Mechatronics

Gateway Technical & Community College Urban Campus


Plans are currently underway for a new $81 million urban campus in downtown Covington, the heart of Northern Kentucky’s urban core. This new campus, including new construction and redevelopment of several buildings within a six-block area, will feature new classroom and administrative space, as well as:
  • Technology & Design Center
  • Student Services & Workforce Development Office (the Eva and Oakley Farris Child Development Center)
  • Gateway Kaleidoscope Center for Urban Outreach
  • Science and Allied Health Teaching Center

Developed through a consortium of college administrators, community leaders, developers, residents and business owners, this urban campus will greatly enhance economic activity and bring new investment and jobs to downtown Covington. Gateway hopes to enroll 2,500 students at this campus by 2014 and over 5,000 by 2020.

Cincinnati State Technical and Community College

Cincinnati State Co-ops have built a strong Northern Kentucky connection with over 600 employers in the co-op program gaining the knowledge they need to be employable and successful in their chosen field adding immediate value. Cincinnati State has one of the largest cooperative education programs among two-year colleges in the U.S., with co-op programs available in Business Technologies, Center for Innovative Technologies, Humanities and Sciences, and Health and Public Safety departments. Some co-op employers include Procter & Gamble, GE Aircraft Engines, Convergys Marketing Research, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital and Great American Insurance

Area Research Universities

University of Cincinnati College of Engineering and Applied Science

The UC Cooperative Engineering program allows students to learn and mature in a professional engineering environment offering solid experience and producing more value to future employees. U.S. News & World Report ranks UC’s College of Engineering and Applied Science’s co-op program 4th in the nation.

University of Louisville J.B. Speed School of Engineering

Speed School is one of the top choices in the country for an advanced technical education adding immediate, cutting-edge value to the region’s workforce.

University of Kentucky Center for Manufacturing

University of Kentucky Center for Manufacturing offers a variety of advanced manufacturing courses to prepare students for a career in manufacturing. Educational support efforts are a premier source of technological aid for Kentucky’s advanced manufacturers and inventors, keeping Kentucky’s businesses globally competitive.

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky Region College and University Enrollment

School  Location Enrollment (2011) Type (2 - 4 Year)
University of Cincinnati Cincinnati, OH 42,435 4
Miami University Oxford, OH 23,399 4
Northern Kentucky University Highland Heights, KY 15,800 4
Cincinnati State Technical &
Community College		 Cincinnati, OH 10,995 2; certificate
Xavier University Cincinnati, OH 7,019 4
Ivy Tech Community College
Southeast		 Lawrenceburg, IN 6,128 2; certificate
Gateway Community & Technical
College		 Covington, KY;
Boone County, KY		 4,850 2; certificate
College of Mount St. Joseph Cincinnati, OH 2,475 4
Thomas More College Crestview Hills, KY 1,886 4
Brown Mackie College Cincinnati, OH;
Fort Mitchell, KY		 1,522 2; certificate
Beckfield College Florence, KY 1,500 2-4
Wilmington College Wilmington, OH 1,435 4
Indiana Wesleyan University West Chester, OH 1,318 2-4
Cincinnati Christian University Cincinnati, OH 1,089 2-4
The Art Institute of Ohio Cincinnati, OH 754 2-4
Union Institute & University Cincinnati, OH 1,599 2-4
National College Cincinnati, OH 400 2; certificate
Daymar College Bellevue, KY 227 2-4; certificate
Lincoln College of Technology Florence, KY 314 2; certificate
Antonelli College  Cincinnati, OH 226 2; certificate
 Other Major Kentucky Universities:
University of Kentucky Lexington, KY 28,094 4
University of Louisville Louisville, KY 22,249 4
Western Kentucky University Bowling Green, KY 21,048 4
Eastern Kentucky University Richmond, KY 16,567 4

Primary and Secondary Education in Northern Kentucky

Northern Kentucky schools and programs serve all residents as well as the gifted and those with special needs. The public school systems are enhanced by a variety of private and parochial schools throughout the region.

The counties of Boone, Campbell and Kenton operate the major public school systems in Northern Kentucky. Several municipalities also operate school systems for residents of their community:

Boone County Schools
Campbell County Schools
Kenton County Schools

Several Northern Kentucky schools were included in the Washington Post’s 2012 “High School Challenge”, a list of the nation’s best high schools, measured by how effectively a school prepares students for college. The rankings use the publication's Challenge Index formula, which divides the number of Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate and college level tests a school administers by the number of graduates for that year.

Only 1,905 public high schools made the list, including four in Northern Kentucky:

U.S.News & World Report, one of the nation’s leading sources of news analysis and service journalism, released its 2012 updated list of America’s Best High Schools. According to the methodology, a best high school is one that succeeds at the following:

  1. Attains performance levels that exceed statistical expectations given the school’s relative level of student poverty, as measured by state accountability test scores for all the school’s students in the core subjects of reading and math;
  2. Achieves proficiency rates on state tests for their least advantaged student groups (e.g., black, Hispanic, and economically disadvantaged students) that exceed state averages; and
  3. Prepares its students for college, as measured by student participation in and performance on Advanced Placement (AP) tests, which are administered by the College Board. View a complete list of America’s Best High Schools.

Three Northern Kentucky high schools were honored among the selection:

To learn more about a specific school or to compare schools side-by-side, visit www.schoolmatters.com.

Blue Ribbon Schools Program

The Blue Ribbon Schools Program honors public and private, high performing schools, or those which have improved student achievement to high levels.

Fourteen Northern Kentucky schools have been awarded the Blue Ribbon from the U.S. Department of Education since 2003.

Northern Kentucky Blue Ribbon Schools

Private Schools in Northern Kentucky

The Diocese of Covington oversees a total of 41 schools K-12 within the Diocese. High schools include seven co-ed and two male-or-female only schools . Other private schools include 35 K-12 within the three-county area, of which five are high schools.