(1) All school districts embracing designated cities together with the territory within their limits, including any territory added for school purposes outside of the city limits, and all independent graded common school districts having a school census enumeration of two hundred (200) or more children, constitute independent school districts, except those which have merged with a county school district since June 14, 1934. No independent district other than a designated city shall continue to operate when its school census enumeration of children falls below two hundred (200) pupils unless it appears to the Kentucky Board of Education that the district can maintain a more efficient program of school service by operating as an independent district.
(2) As used in this section, "designated city" means a city classified as a city of the first, second, third, fourth, or fifth class as of January 1, 2014, under the city classification system in effect prior to January 1, 2015. The Department of Education shall, on or before January 1, 2015, create an official registry listing the cities that qualify as a "designated city" under this section and shall publish that registry on its Web site.