Original Research by School Decision on Steam Academy
STEAM Academy is a public alternative high school serving all four grades of high school in Lexington, within the Fayette County Public Schools system. It is located on East 6 Street, putting it in the central part of a city that is a major university town, home to the flagship University of Kentucky campus just south of downtown, as well as Transylvania University, the Keeneland race course, a thriving bourbon-distillery scene, and hundreds of horse farms across a county governed by a merged urban-county government. The school draws a student body of a size that is modest for a four-year high school, though it is worth noting the enrollment is somewhat larger than typical for many alternative school settings.
The student population is diverse. A substantial share of students come from economically disadvantaged households based on income-eligibility data for free or reduced-price meals. Racially, the school is majority white, with a notable Black student presence and a modest Hispanic share, along with small numbers of students who identify as Asian or as two or more races. The school reports receiving special education services through IEPs, but a specific count of those students was not available in the data we reviewed, and the same is true for English learner enrollment. Parents who want to understand the full services available for students with disabilities or language needs would want to contact the school directly for that detail.
State testing results and a four-year graduation rate were not available in the records we examined. Because STEAM Academy is classified as an alternative school, those standard academic metrics may not apply in the same way they would for a traditional comprehensive high school—alternative schools often serve students who need a different approach to earning credits or completing their diploma, and their performance measures can be structured differently. Without that data, it is not possible from this record to characterize how the school compares to other high schools in the county on conventional academic measures. A parent should ask the school directly about its assessment history, graduation rates, and the academic pathways it offers.
The school did not provide information about specific program offerings in the data we received. Given its name and alternative status, it likely emphasizes project-based or interdisciplinary learning oriented around science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics, but the record does not confirm what courses, dual-credit options, career pathways, or advanced coursework are available. That is a significant gap for a family trying to gauge whether the curriculum aligns with a student’s interests.
Lexington itself has a managed growth pattern, shaped by the nation’s first urban growth boundary, which confines development to an urban service area and preserves rural open space for horse farms. The city is auto-oriented, though downtown has a more walkable core. Housing in the Lexington area commands values roughly on par with Kentucky’s statewide median, and rents have been rising, reflecting broader national trends. The area’s largest employer is the University of Kentucky, with healthcare and the horse industry also anchoring the local economy.
For a parent considering STEAM Academy, the central question is what kind of alternative setting this is—whether it serves students who have struggled in a traditional high school and are working to recover credits, or whether it is a themed school for students seeking a nontraditional instructional approach. The record does not clarify that. The school belongs to a large district that has invested in facilities and new schools publicly reported in recent years, so it operates within a system undergoing visible changes. A family would need to visit, speak with staff, and review whatever academic and postsecondary outcomes the school tracks to decide whether it fits their student’s needs.
See more original research from School Decision →