The JCPS Showcase of Schools is tomorrow, Saturday, October 24, 2026, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Norton Healthcare Sports & Learning Center, 3029 W. Muhammad Ali Blvd., Louisville, KY 40212. Admission and onsite parking are free, according to the Jefferson County Public Schools September 28 announcement, which says every JCPS school and specialized pathway will be under one roof.

The 2027 to 2028 application window runs November 2, 2026, through December 18, 2026, according to the JCPS Student Assignment page. Saturday is the last big chance to ask schools questions in person before it opens. JCPS says it doesn't process applications in the order they arrive. They're processed together after the window closes, so there's no prize for applying at midnight on November 2. The district's Middle and High Schools and Programs page says the same window covers "magnet schools and programs and Academies of Louisville programs."

Who is the Showcase built for?

JCPS says the Showcase is especially useful for families with a child moving into kindergarten, sixth grade, or ninth grade, and for families new to JCPS who are still sorting out school boundaries, magnets, and specialized programs. The announcement, rechecked October 22, lists career education, advanced academics, fine arts, language immersion, and STEM programs among the tables. It says JCPS support staff will be on site to explain the application process and enrollment timelines.

How do you get there without driving?

JCPS runs a free shuttle from select schools all day. The district says the last return shuttle leaves the Showcase at 1 p.m., and children under 3 and strollers are not allowed on the buses. A JCPS post from October 16 says the announcement has the bus schedules and pickup locations, but the copies of that page JCPS Insider could read on October 22 didn't show them. Check the announcement or call JCPS at 502 313 4357 or email jcps.help@jefferson.kyschools.us before you leave home Saturday.

What should you bring?

Bring a charged phone, a pen and paper, your child's current school and grade, and a short list of schools. If your child is outside JCPS this year, bring a recent report card. The J. Graham Brown School, for one, asks applicants who attended a non JCPS school at any point in the past two years to upload core subject grades and test scores, according to its middle and high school admissions site.

Where can you get help with the application itself?

The JCPS Office of School Choice runs application sessions at the Showcase. The district says they're held in The Fun Zone near the concession stand, are titled "Let's Talk JCPS Applications: Who, What, When & How," and start at 10 a.m., 11 a.m., noon, and 1 p.m. The Office of School Choice phone is 502 485 6250.

What should kindergarten and elementary families ask?

Every incoming kindergartner needs an application to get an elementary assignment. The JCPS Elementary Schools and Programs page says "an application must be submitted in order to receive an elementary assignment," and the initial window for 2027 to 2028 is November 2, 2026, through December 18, 2026. The district keeps accepting registrations and applications year round for eligible students after that.

JCPS groups elementary schools into zones of three to eight schools based on your home address. On the application you rank the schools in your zone. The Office of School Choice then places your child, weighing parental choice, space, resides school, and diversity, and it keeps siblings together in zone schools when you list the sibling's school first. The same page warns that the 2022 boundary changes mean some siblings may be separated, and that families in that spot can apply for a student transfer.

Elementary magnets work differently. JCPS says all elementary magnet admissions are decided by lottery, and magnet choices are processed before zone assignments. The magnet deadline is December 18, 2026.

At each elementary table, ask three things. Is this school in our zone? Does it have a magnet program? Would a sibling already enrolled here help under the rules for our address? Write the answers down, because the application asks you to rank schools you may have seen for only five minutes.

Preschool is a separate process. The JCPS Early Childhood page says preschool applicants need proof of income, residence, and the child's age when they apply, and partial applications cannot be submitted. The Preschool Student Assignment team answers questions at 502 485 7677.

What should you ask at each magnet table?

Ask questions that get you a date, a document, or a name.

Start with whether the school needs anything beyond the JCPS application. Some do. duPont Manual has its own online file on top of the district application, as JCPS Insider's breakdown of what Manual's materials score explains. As of October 22, Manual's admissions home page still read "The application and recommendation period for duPont Manual / YPAS has ended," a leftover from last cycle, so ask the Manual table Saturday when the 2027 to 2028 links go up.

Brown's admissions site says applicants must complete the Brown School Admissions Form, which opens November 2, and that all forms and materials are due December 18, 2026. Central asks applicants for a prompt response and two recommendations, as JCPS Insider laid out in its guide to magnet applications that need extra materials.

Ask whether the school posts a scoring rubric, and where. Manual posts score sheets for four of its magnets, and the JCPS Insider breakdown walks through them.

Ask whether you have to list the school first. Atherton's Applying to Atherton page says it "cannot consider any requests for applications if Atherton is not listed as a first choice school." That page doesn't give exact application dates, so go by the district's dates and ask the Atherton table to confirm the rule.

Ask about due dates that differ from December 18. Manual, for example, sets January 5, 2027, for recommendations, according to the JCPS Insider breakdown.

Ask whether transportation is provided. Brown's admissions site says "JCPS does NOT provide school bus transportation to the Brown School," and its upper school handbook says the same.

Ask about visits, too. Brown lists morning information sessions from 8:30 a.m. to 9:45 a.m. on November 10, November 16, December 1 and December 7, 2026, with no sign up needed.

Then ask every school when tours are, how to sign up, and who to email with follow up questions.

What should you ask at your resides school table?

Your resides school is the school zoned for your home address. If you're not sure which one that is, use JCPS Insider's Find Your Resides School before you go, then ask that table what your child can join without applying. JCPS also lists its SchoolFinder tool and the GIS Office at 502 485 3050.

Current fifth and eighth graders who don't want a specialized school or program don't need to apply. JCPS says they're enrolled automatically in the school that serves their home address. Families in the Choice Zone entering sixth or ninth grade must make a close to home or far away selection.

What should you photograph before you leave?

Photograph any flyer that shows a date, a deadline, a score sheet, a tour sign up, or a QR code. Take a picture of the table sign too, so you know which school each photo belongs to. Photograph business cards, or write down the staff member's name and email.

What should you write down before you leave?

Before you leave the building, write one line for each school you visited. Note the extra materials it wants, its due date, whether it must be your first choice, and who you talked to. Do it in the parking lot if you have to.

To compare schools afterward, use the JCPS Insider school comparison tool. The JCPS application opens Monday, November 2.