South Laurel High School

(Frankfort, Ky) The Kentucky Association of School Administrators (KASA) has named Jeremy Kidd, principal of South Laurel High School, as the recipient of the 2026 Building-Level Administrator of the Year Award, recognizing his outstanding leadership in fostering academic excellence, strengthening school culture and creating opportunities for students to succeed. Presented annually during KASA’s Annual Leadership Institute, the Building-Level Administrator of the Year Award is KASA’s highest honor for a practicing school administrator whose leadership has made a lasting impact on students, educators and the broader school community. Since becoming principal of South Laurel High School in 2018, Kidd has led the school through a remarkable transformation by building a culture rooted in collaboration, accountability and a shared commitment to student success. Guided by his belief that everyone in a school is “on the same team,” he has united teachers, staff, students and families around a common vision of continuous improvement and Cardinal Pride. Under Kidd’s leadership, South Laurel High School improved from a Yellow school to a Blue school—the highest performance designation in Kentucky’s accountability system. He accomplished this by cultivating a data-informed culture in which educators regularly collaborate, analyze student performance and provide timely interventions to ensure every student has the opportunity to succeed.