Kentucky K-12 Email Security Intelligence:
DNS Authentication Profiling of 185 School District LEAs

Lokentra Research Team
Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series
April 22, 2026
research@monitorworkspace.com • monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Abstract

We present DNS email security profiling for 185 K-12 LEAs in Kentucky, of which 176 have active domains (95.1% coverage). Domains were scored on the Lokentra 100-point Email Security Index (ESI) rubric (SPF 30 pts + DKIM 30 pts + DMARC 40 pts). Kentucky K-12 districts achieve an average ESI score of 53.8/100, with 5.1% earning Grade A or B (strong posture) and 4.5% receiving Grade F (minimal authentication). Only 71.6% have any DMARC record, and just 5.7% have DMARC at an enforcement level (quarantine or reject) — leaving 28.4% of districts fully vulnerable to email domain spoofing. This report provides entity-level data for all 176 scored domains including provider classification, authentication status, and ESI score, sourced from NCES CCD 2024-2025 and live DNS resolution conducted April 22, 2026.

Keywords: Kentucky, K-12 email security, DMARC, SPF, school district cybersecurity, DNS authentication, Google Workspace, education technology

1. Dataset Overview

Table 1. Kentucky K-12 Dataset Summary
MetricValue
Total K-12 LEAs in state185
Regular school districts171
Charter LEAs0
Other LEA types (state-operated, regional, etc.)14
LEAs with active internet domain176 (95.1%)
Domains DNS-profiled176
Data freshness (NCES CCD)2024-2025 school year
DNS scan dateApril 22, 2026

2. The Human Impact: Populations at Risk

To estimate human exposure, NCES national averages are applied to CCD 2024-2025 operational school counts: 381 students per school, 51 staff per school, and 2 parents or guardians per student. Kentucky K-12 districts collectively operate approximately 1,548 schools.

Table 2. Estimated Population Exposure from K-12 Email Security Gaps — Kentucky
PopulationTotal in DatasetAt Risk (No DMARC, 28.4%)Critically Exposed (Grade F, 4.5%)
Students589,788167,49926,540
Parents and guardians1,179,576334,99953,080
Staff and educators78,94822,4213,552
Total people1,848,312524,92083,174

Estimates based on NCES national averages. Individual district enrollment data can be linked via NCES LEAID for precise counts.

3. Authentication Findings

3.1 Protocol Adoption

Table 3. Email Authentication Protocol Adoption — Kentucky K-12
ProtocolKentuckyNational K-12 (ESI)vs. National
SPF (any configuration)68.2%79.7%-11.5pp
DKIM (key published)93.8%59.6%+34.2pp
DMARC (any policy)71.6%55.5%+16.1pp
DMARC at enforcement (quarantine/reject)5.7%~21.0%-15.3pp
DMARC at reject (full enforcement)1.7%~12.2%-10.5pp
No MX records (not receiving email)30.7%~10.0%+20.7pp

3.2 ESI Grade Distribution

Table 4. ESI Score Grade Distribution — Kentucky K-12
GradeScoreDistrictsShareInterpretation
A90–10031.7%Full enforcement
B70–8963.4%Strong posture
C50–6910961.9%Partial protection
D30–495028.4%Weak configuration
F0–2984.5%Minimal/no authentication
Average score53.8 / 100

3.3 Email Provider Distribution

Table 5. Email Provider Distribution — Kentucky K-12 (top providers)
ProviderDistrictsShare
Microsoft 3657643.2%
Google Workspace4223.9%

4. District-Level Data

4.1 Top Performing Districts (Best ESI Scores)

Table 6. Top 15 Kentucky K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Bardstown Independent bardstown.kyschools.us Nelson County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Nelson County nelson.kyschools.us Nelson County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ reject 95 A
Craft Academy moreheadstate.edu Rowan County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 90 A
Kentucky Tech System education.ky.gov Woodford County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
Calloway County calloway.kyschools.us Calloway County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
Fort Thomas Independent fortthomas.kyschools.us Campbell County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
Jessamine County jessamine.kyschools.us Jessamine County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
Whitley County whitley.kyschools.us Whitley County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ quarantine 85 B
Middlesboro Independent mboro.k12.ky.us Bell County — ✗ ✓ reject 70 B
Muhlenberg County muhlenberg.kyschools.us Muhlenberg County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ none 65 C
Adair County adair.kyschools.us Adair County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ none 65 C
Augusta Independent augusta.kyschools.us Bracken County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ none 65 C
Bath County bath.kyschools.us Bath County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ none 65 C
Bourbon County bourbon.kyschools.us Bourbon County Google Workspace ✓ ✓ none 65 C
Bell County bell.kyschools.us Bell County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✓ none 65 C

4.2 Districts Most in Need of Improvement (Lowest ESI Scores)

Table 7. Bottom 15 Kentucky K-12 Districts by ESI Score
DistrictDomainCountyProviderSPFDKIMDMARC PolicyScoreGrade
Barren County barrenschools.com Barren County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Anchorage Independent anchorage-school.org Jefferson County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Butler County butlerschools.net Butler County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Carter County cartercountyschools.org Carter County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Jackson Independent jacksonind.net Breathitt County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Robertson County school.robertson.k12.ky.us Robertson County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Pulaski County pulaski.net Pulaski County — ✗ ✗ — 0 F
Newport Independent newportwildcats.org Campbell County — ✓ ✗ — 25 F
Anderson County anderson.k12.ky.us Anderson County — ✗ ✓ — 30 D
Ashland Independent ashland.k12.ky.us Boyd County — ✗ ✓ — 30 D
Kentucky School for the Blind District ksb.k12.ky.us Jefferson County — ✗ ✓ — 30 D
Kentucky School for the Deaf District ksd.k12.ky.us Boyle County — ✗ ✓ — 30 D
Ballard County ballard.k12.ky.us Ballard County — ✗ ✓ — 30 D
Model Laboratory Schools at EKU model.eku.edu Madison County Microsoft 365 ✓ ✗ — 30 D
Bullitt County bullittschools.org Bullitt County — ✗ ✓ — 30 D

4.3 County-Level Summary (Top 10 Counties by District Count)

Table 8. Kentucky County Distribution
CountyDistrictsWebsite Coverage
Campbell County785.7%
Kenton County5100.0%
Jefferson County475.0%
Boyd County475.0%
Madison County475.0%
Boyle County3100.0%
Calloway County366.7%
Perry County366.7%
Warren County366.7%
Barren County3100.0%

5. Policy Implications

These findings identify specific, actionable gaps in Kentucky's K-12 email security posture. The 28.4% DMARC gap represents districts that can be impersonated by any sender, enabling phishing campaigns targeting parents, students, and educators with no authentication failure. Key observations:

6. Data Availability

The full Kentucky K-12 dataset — 185 entities with NCES CCD enrichment (phone, address, grade span, school count, LEAID) and DNS authentication profiles — is available as part of the Lokentra ESI State Pack.

Table 9. Licensing Tiers
TierScopeSuggested Use
State Pack: KentuckyAll 185 K-12 LEAs, full DNS profile + CCD enrichmentRegional studies, state policy, outreach
K-12 NationalAll 50 states, 20,021+ K-12 LEAsNational K-12 cybersecurity research
Full Registry801,359+ entities across all sectorsComprehensive multi-sector research
API + UpdatesQuarterly re-scan, REST APILongitudinal studies, live dashboards

Contact: research@monitorworkspace.com — Free demo at monitorworkspace.com/scorecard

Citation: Lokentra Research Team (2026). Kentucky K-12 Email Security Intelligence: DNS Authentication Profiling of 185 School District LEAs. Lokentra U.S. Email Security Index (ESI) — State Intelligence Series. https://lokentra-site.web.app/research/states/ky-k12-paper.html

Data sources: NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-2025; DNS records resolved via Google Public DNS (8.8.8.8) and Cloudflare (1.1.1.1). All entity data derived from publicly accessible government registries.

National baseline figures from Lokentra U.S. Education Sector Email Security Intelligence Dataset (March 2026). See education-dataset-paper.html for full methodology.