Meet Austin Horn, the Miami Herald’s new education reporter

South Florida families navigating the region’s schools will soon see expanded education coverage from the Miami Herald with the addition of reporter Austin Horn to the newsroom.

Horn joins the Herald this week after serving as a senior political reporter at the Lexington Herald-Leader, where he built a reputation for breaking news quickly and producing accountability reporting on powerful institutions and public policy.

His reporting in Kentucky exposed the inner workings of power, from revealing a House GOP leader’s ties to a gaming company during a legislative fight to reconstructing how a $125 million public project was fast-tracked with little transparency. Horn also uncovered several allegations of sexual harassment against a Democratic Kentucky state lawmaker, including an incident that led to a lifetime ban from a strip club. His reporting led to calls for the lawmaker’s resignation from his own party, his caucus and the governor.

Previously, Horn served as director of investigative and depth reporting at the Frankfort State Journal, where he led ambitious watchdog stories on education, government accountability and policing. A graduate of Columbia University, Horn also trained as a Kroc Fellow at NPR, where he reported and produced for national programs and podcasts, sharpening his storytelling skills across platforms.

When he is not reporting, Horn enjoys writing and playing music in his self-described “mediocre indie rock band,” arguing about basketball (specifically the University of Kentucky Wildcats) and doing something outside with his wife Katie and their dog Sulley, a shepherd mix.

At the Herald, Horn will cover Miami-Dade County Public Schools and the broader education landscape across South Florida, focusing on the issues affecting students, parents, teachers and communities.

You can reach him at austin.horn@miamiherald.com.