Boone County Schools has erased its COVID-era learning loss and now exceeds pre-pandemic academic scores, Superintendent Dr. Jeff Hauswald says. He told LINK nky in a profile published July 27, that no other Kentucky district has reached that benchmark.

"We have eliminated the learning loss from COVID," Hauswald said.

The claim covers roughly 20,900 students spread across 26 schools in Florence, Union, Burlington, and Hebron. It arrives as the district prepares for its first day of school on August 19, and as the school board approved a $373.5 million budget for fiscal year 2027 at its May 14 meeting.

Curriculum aligned across 26 schools

Since joining the district in July 2024 from Monroe County Community School Corporation in Indiana, Hauswald has focused on aligning language arts and math curriculum across every building. The board tasked him with turning "a system of schools into a school system," he said.

That work became concrete in February 2026, when the board approved a new High Quality Instructional Resources math curriculum, an intervention program, and professional development for teachers. A biomedical career pathway was added at Conner High School in Hebron, according to the board's March 12 meeting records.

Growth pressures and boundary changes

The district enrolled 20,918 students in the 2024-25 school year, according to a Kentucky state financial audit. In that fiscal year, general fund expenditures reached $256 million, with $219 million going to salaries. Boone County is the state's third-largest district.

Growth is already forcing boundary changes. The board approved a redistricting plan affecting Ballyshannon and Camp Ernst Middle School attendance zones at its March 12 meeting. Hauswald told the Florence City Council in October 2024 that Boone County ranks among the most efficient districts in Kentucky.

The board gave him a positive annual evaluation at its May 14 meeting. His broader priorities for the coming year include managing continued enrollment growth and addressing bus route staffing shortages. The district's transportation fleet logged 2,418,926 miles in the 2025-26 school year, according to the district's social media accounts.

Students pitch globally focused classes

Hauswald buys pizza for groups of high school students each month and asks what's working and what isn't. At one of those lunches, students told him they want an internationally focused curriculum to prepare them for careers in medicine or law outside the United States.

"You'll also learn that they have insights in improving schools that you would never know, if you didn't take the time to ask," Hauswald said.

Hauswald said the district has no timeline for adding internationally focused courses but that the curriculum department is exploring the idea.

Classes begin August 19, with 180 instructional days scheduled through May 27, 2027.