Original Research by School Decision on Biggs Early Childhood Education Ctr
Biggs Early Childhood Education Center serves only preschool students, specifically children enrolled in the prekindergarten program of the Covington Independent school district. Because the school serves a single grade level and that grade is not part of Kentucky’s state testing program, no state assessment results are available for this school, and there is no graduation rate to report. This is not a gap in the school’s performance so much as a reflection of the age group it serves; the school’s work is in early childhood readiness and foundational learning, not in the academic accountability measures that apply to elementary and older students.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for a single-grade building, and it serves a student population that is notably diverse. A large majority of students come from households with low income, as reflected in the share qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is made up of a mix of racial and ethnic backgrounds, with a substantial share of Hispanic students, followed by White students, Black students, and a smaller number of students identifying as two or more races or as Asian or Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander. No data was available on the share of students in special education or those designated as English learners, so a family may want to ask the school directly about how it supports children with these needs.
The school is located in Covington, Kentucky’s largest northern Kentucky city, situated at the confluence of the Ohio and Licking rivers directly across from Cincinnati. Covington is an older urban center with a dense, walkable northern core near the riverfront, a network of historic districts, and a mix of residential neighborhoods that extend southward through areas annexed in recent decades. The city’s housing market is relatively moderate compared to national benchmarks; home values and rents in the Covington ZIP code area are a bit below the national average, making this a more affordable entry point for families than many metropolitan areas. The local economy includes major employers such as the IRS, Fidelity Investments, and St. Elizabeth Hospital, and a new biotechnology incubator opened in fall 2025, signaling ongoing redevelopment efforts.
The Covington Independent district is the largest independent school district in Kentucky. One of its elementary schools, Glenn O. Swing Elementary, was recently designated a Model Laboratory School by the state for demonstrating success in improving outcomes for historically underserved students, which might be of interest to families looking for signs of district-wide attention to equity. The district maintains a relatively low property tax rate for the region; in 2024, the school board voted to hold the tax rate steady rather than take the full revenue increase allowed by the state, a decision that keeps costs down for homeowners but may constrain the district’s funding for new programs.
For a parent or resident, Biggs Early Childhood Education Center is a dedicated preschool setting within a diverse urban district that has a mixed economic profile and a visible commitment to some of its elementary schools. The absence of test data is not unusual for this grade level, but it also means the sole measure of the school’s effectiveness comes from its daily work with very young children rather than from any publicly reported academic or readiness outcomes. A family considering this school should seek information directly from the staff about the curriculum, developmental benchmarks, and how the school prepares children for kindergarten.
See more original research from School Decision →