Since Simmons College of Kentucky was founded in 1879, the school has gone through significant periods of both growth and decline. To maintain financial stability during the Great Depression, the college was forced to downsize its degree offerings, one of which was the teacher education program.
Now, nearly a century later, the HBCU has been approved to launch two new degree programs aimed at preparing the next generation of Kentucky teachers. The college will now offer a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and an associate of arts degree in early childhood education and teacher education.
According to the most recent United States Department of Education data from 2022, Simmons College of Kentucky enrolls 237 undergradaute students, 89 percent of whom are Black. The college is one of two HBCUs in the state of Kentucky.
