Kentucky’s KEES Scholarship: How Your Child’s Math Grades Translate to College Money

KEES is a merit scholarship administered by the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority that calculates awards based on the GPA your child earns each year of high school, from 9th grade through 12th. Every semester counts, every grade contributes, and the window to influence the total award gets smaller each year.

Today, we’ll break down:

• Exactly how the award accrues year by year

• Why math grades deserve particular attention within that calculation

• What you can still do to protect or grow your child's total award, depending on where they are right now

KEES Rewards Grades Earned Starting in Grade 9

KEES calculates your child’s award based on the GPA they earn each year of high school, starting with 9th grade and running through 12th grade. Each year’s GPA locks in a corresponding dollar amount, and those amounts stack to form the total scholarship your child can take to college.

Note: Per Kentucky House Bill 500, the minimum GPA threshold is rising to 2.75 starting in the 2026–27 academic year. Any baseline funds previously earned under the older 2.50 threshold remain safe and fully usable.

Here is what that structure looks like in practice for awards earned moving forward:

A 3.5 GPA each year from 9th through 12th grade locks in $375 per year, for a total of $1,500. A 4.0 across those same four years locks in $2,000.

That $500 difference adds up, and it comes from grades that are already in the past by the time most families start paying close attention. The part that catches parents off guard is the irreversibility. A high 11th-grade GPA cannot reach back and fix a weak 9th-grade contribution. Each year stands on its own.

If your child earned KEES funds before the minimum GPA threshold changed, those funds are protected. Any award accumulated under the older rules cannot be retroactively taken away. The new threshold applies going forward, not backward.

Research from the University of Chicago Consortium shows that high school GPA is a better predictor of later college success than ACT® scores, reinforcing why 9th grade matters so much for KEES-eligible students. GPA reflects sustained performance across courses, not just performance on a single exam, which is exactly what KEES rewards.

There is also an ACT® boost you should pay attention to. This bonus scales with your child's highest single test score from high school. A score of 15 unlocks a base bonus of $36 per year, and an ACT® score of 28 or higher earns the maximum bonus of $500 per year. 

KHEAA (Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority) adds that flat-rate amount directly to the GPA-based total, so a student who earned $1,500 from GPA and scored a 25 on the ACT® would receive $1,893 per year in total. Retaking the test does not earn multiple bonuses; only the highest score counts.

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Why Math Grades Carry Outsized Weight in the KEES Calculation

KEES does not weight math grades differently from any other subject. But in our experience working with middle and high schoolers, math is often one of the subjects that can really make the difference in GPA.

Here is why. 

In many subjects, a rough quarter can be offset by stronger performance later in the year. Math is often more cumulative than other classes, which means that a gap in one course can create friction in the next, and that friction can show up in grades. If your child struggled with Algebra 1 in 9th grade, the effect may not become fully visible until Algebra 2 or precalculus, when earlier gaps become harder to ignore.

We have seen this pattern repeatedly: a student comes to Mathnasium with a geometry problem, and when we do a diagnostic assessment, the underlying issue often traces back to something unresolved in an earlier course, sometimes even several years earlier. The grade may drop in 10th grade, but the root cause is often older.

That matters for KEES in a specific way. Because awards are calculated year by year, a GPA dip in 10th or 11th grade reduces that year’s KEES contribution and cannot be recovered retroactively. If math is a subject where those dips happen, it’s typically because the gaps were underestimated early and had compounded over time.

There is also a course rigor dimension to consider. KEES provides additional enhancements for qualifying scores on advanced exams, which means the math courses your child takes in junior and senior year can directly affect their total award. But there is a catch:

• Advanced math courses require a foundation that has to be built well before junior year

• Fall behind in Algebra 2, and your child may not be prepared for higher-level math courses at all

• That means the enhancement opportunity disappears before it ever becomes available

The practical implication: math performance can have a direct, measurable impact on protecting your child’s total KEES award.

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Your Child's KEES Window Is Still Open

Some of your child's KEES-eligible grades are already set. If your child is in 10th grade right now, their 9th-grade GPA contribution is fixed. There is no mechanism in the program to replace it with a better number later.

But 10th, 11th, and 12th grade are still in play. And they carry real weight.

To make it concrete: Head into junior year with a 3.25 GPA and raise it to 3.5 or higher over the final two years, and your child can meaningfully increase their total KEES award. Start at a 4.0 and let a difficult math course pull that GPA down in 11th grade, and your child loses that year's contribution for good.

You cannot change what has already been earned. But if your child is in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade, you are still in a window where the decision you make this semester has a direct dollar value attached to it.

That is not a reason to panic. It is a reason to act now rather than wait until senior year to take stock.

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The Mathnasium Method™ enables students to fill the necessary math gaps and achieve higher grades.

How to Catch a Math Gap Before It Impacts Your Child’s KEES Tier

The most useful thing you can do right now is know exactly where your child stands in their current math course. Not at the end of the semester.

Their September struggle and their March struggle are two different problems. Math gaps tend to appear late in a course because the early units often feel manageable. It is usually not until the material builds on itself that the underlying issue becomes visible.

This isn't just anecdotal. A 2024 study of Kentucky's Math Achievement Fund published in Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis found that early math gaps widen significantly over time, and that targeted intervention in early grades produces sustained gains in math, reading, attendance, and behavior that last for years.

A few things to keep track of:

• Which math course your child is taking this year, and what comes next

• How they performed on the first major assessment of the semester

• Whether they are avoiding homework or asking for help less than usual, both are early signals you should be taking seriously

The earlier you identify a gap, the more runway you have to close it before it affects the GPA that feeds into KEES.

At Mathnasium, tutoring helps your child improve math grades and KEES scholarship odds. 

How Mathnasium Can Help Protect Your Child's KEES Award

Mathnasium is a math-only learning center. Our proprietary teaching approach, the Mathnasium Method™, starts with a diagnostic assessment that identifies not just where a student is struggling, but the specific knowledge gaps driving the struggle. 

For KEES-focused families, that distinction matters: a gap we find and close in 10th grade does not drag down 11th-grade GPA, and that gap has a real dollar value attached to it. From there, we build a personalized learning plan and work systematically through what your child needs, whether they need to catch up, keep up, or get ahead.

The results speak for themselves:

• 94% of parents report an improvement in their child's math skills and understanding

• 93% of parents report a more positive attitude toward math after attending Mathnasium

• 90% of students saw an improvement in their school grades

With over 1,100 learning centers across North America, chances are there is a Mathnasium near you. 

Mathnasium of Middletown serves K–12 students across the Louisville metro area, including many families navigating exactly this situation: a student in 9th, 10th, or 11th grade whose GPA is within reach of a higher KEES tier. 

If your child is still in a KEES-eligible year, there is still time to act.

📅 Schedule a free assessment at Mathnasium of Middletown. 

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