Ballard High School
East-end Network 3 high school and Academies of Louisville campus
Resides high school + Academies of Louisville · Network 3 with Atherton, Eastern, Waggener, Academy @ Shawnee · Home of the Bruins · cardinal and white
- Grades: 9th–12th
- How to get in: Resides or in-network
- School day: 8:40 a.m. start
Ballard is an east-end JCPS high school in Network 3, alongside Atherton, Eastern, Waggener, and Academy @ Shawnee. It is an Academies of Louisville campus, not one of the eight districtwide magnet high schools. If School Finder assigns your address here, that is the resides school. Families elsewhere in Network 3 can apply as an in-network Academies request; families outside Network 3 use the JCPS transfer process. JCPS Insider is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.
6000 Brownsboro Road · East Louisville · Kentucky
Official starting points
- Ballard's official JCPS page(opens in a new tab)
- JCPS student assignment(opens in a new tab)
- School Finder(opens in a new tab)
- How to apply(opens in a new tab)
- Current Choices Guide(opens in a new tab)
- KDE School Report Card(opens in a new tab)
School Choice:(502) 485-6250schoolchoice@jefferson.kyschools.us
What this school is
Ballard opened in 1968 at 6000 Brownsboro Road. It is a resides high school and an Academies of Louisville campus. It is not a districtwide magnet school, so there is no districtwide magnet lottery for a seat here.
Every Academies student starts in Freshman Academy, then selects an upperclassman academy and career pathway. Visual and performing arts — theatre, photography, band, choir, orchestra, visual arts — sit beside the academies rather than replacing an arts magnet.
Who runs the building
Jason Neuss
Jason Neuss is listed as principal. Carly Hamilton is listed as Freshman Academy assistant principal and Tyler Hacker-Kuhn as STEM Academy assistant principal, alongside academy counselors. Confirm names on the school site before you write a letter.
School details
- Address
- 6000 Brownsboro Road, Louisville, KY 40222
- Phone
- (502) 485-8206
- Official JCPS site
- jefferson.kyschools.us/o/ballard(opens in a new tab)
- School day: 8:40 a.m. start
- Title I: No
- Board district: Taylor Everett · District 3
- Network 3 · opened 1968 · Bruins, cardinal and white
How families get in
There are two paths. Path A: School Finder says Ballard is the resides high school — register, with no Academies application. Path B: you live in Network 3 and want Ballard instead of your assigned school — apply during the JCPS window as an in-network Academies request, where 2.0 is the published GPA lottery floor. Out-of-network is a transfer, not a magnet.
- Run School Finder. Write down the resides high school and the network.
- If Ballard is the resides school, register. New-to-JCPS families still complete district registration.
- If it is in-network but not resides, apply as an Academies request — not as you would for Manual or Central.
- Tour during the academic day and ask to see the academy your child would enter after ninth grade.
- Watch the response deadline if a seat is offered.
Buses follow the resides rule
- Resides students at Ballard are in the regular high-school transportation system.
- An in-network Academies seat does not automatically get a magnet bus. Confirm 2026–27 on the Transportation Verification form.
Official 2027–28 application window: November 2, 2026 through December 18, 2026.
Who it tends to fit
A good match when
- Ballard is your east-end resides high school.
- You are in Network 3 and want STEM, business, or media-arts academies.
- A large athletics and arts program matters to your student.
Think twice when
- You want IB — that is Atherton.
- You want a districtwide magnet such as Manual, Male, or Central.
- You need a guaranteed bus from outside the assignment zone.
Students
Counts come from the 2025–26 individual data book: 2,181 students in a building listed at 2,110 optimal capacity — slightly over listed seats. Gifted and talented: 485. Multilingual learners: 172. Title I: No.
Diversity index
67%
Standard racial/ethnic diversity index using the 2,181-student data-book headcount. White students are the largest group, with Black students next.
| Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 1041 | 48% |
| Black / African American | 570 | 26% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 248 | 11% |
| Two or more races | 156 | 7% |
| Asian | 155 | 7% |
Gender: Not broken out separately in the source data book.
- Headcount 2,181 · 2025–26 data book
- Listed capacity 2,110 · slightly over listed seats
- Gifted and talented 485 · multilingual learners 172
- Title I: No
- School day: 8:40 a.m. start
Academics
Use the Kentucky School Report Card first. These figures match the official 2024–25 accountability table and the school's own banners.
- Reading: 30% proficient, 17% distinguished — 48% official combined P+D.
- Math: 33% proficient, 14% distinguished — 47% official combined P+D.
- Science: 25% proficient, 5% distinguished — 30% official combined P+D. Social studies 45% and writing 53%.
- JCPS reported on August 19, 2026 that Ballard is #12 in Kentucky on the 2026 U.S. News list — label the cycle rather than treating it as a live rank.
- AP and dual credit are part of the pitch. Ask who actually sits in those rooms and what the current pass rate is.
Awards and recognition
U.S. News 2026 list
#12 among Kentucky high schools, per JCPS on Aug. 19, 2026
Project Lead The Way pathways
Aerospace, civil, and biomedical PLTW coursework listed
Location and daily life
6000 Brownsboro Road, 40222 — east Louisville, near the Watterson Expressway. The day starts at 8:40 a.m., so tour the Brownsboro Road car line at 8:20.
The STEM Academy list in current High School Choices includes Aerospace Engineering (PLTW), Automation Engineering, Civil Engineering (PLTW), Biomedical Sciences (PLTW), Allied Health, and Pre-Nursing. Ballard's own STEM page currently uses Patient Care Technician for the nursing pathway and does not display Automation Engineering. Ask Ballard which list applies to incoming students.
Recent news, in context
Business Services pathways listed are Management & Entrepreneurship, Marketing, and Teaching & Learning, with Retail Services on the campus list.
Media Arts Academy pathways listed are Cinematography & Video Production, Graphic Design, and Interactive Media, with Adobe certifications as the school's own pitch.
The 2027–28 application window runs November 2 through December 18, 2026.
Compare before you commit
- Atherton High SchoolNetwork 3 resides campus with the IB program inside it.
- Eastern High SchoolNetwork 3 resides campus with its own academy and JROTC pathways.
- Waggener High SchoolNetwork 3 campus with College Now early-college coursework.
- duPont Manual High SchoolDistrictwide magnet high school. Separate application and criteria.
Questions to ask on a tour
- 1.Is this my resides high school, or an in-network Academies request?
- 2.After Freshman Academy, how does pathway placement actually work?
- 3.Who sits in AP and dual-credit rooms — and what is the current pass rate?
- 4.The building is listed over capacity. What is class size in this academy?
- 5.Is there a bus if we are in-network but not resides?
- 6.How long is the Brownsboro Road car line at 8:20?
- 7.How do I reach the academy principal and counselor for this pathway?
- 8.What does athletics look like for a ninth-grader who is not a starter?
- 9.If we decline a seat, what is the deadline?
- 10.If Ballard is full, what is the next Network 3 option?
What to do next
- 1.Run your address in School Finder and write down the resides high school and network.
- 2.If Ballard is resides, register. No Academies application is needed.
- 3.If you are in Network 3 but assigned elsewhere, apply as an in-network Academies request during the window.
- 4.Complete the Transportation Verification form if you need a bus.
- 5.Tour the academy your child would enter, not the stadium, and watch any offer deadline.