Butler Traditional High
Southwest traditional magnet high school in Shively / Crums Lane
Grades 9–12 · whole-school traditional magnet · Lottery, by address · Bears
- Grades: 9th–12th
- School day: 7:30 a.m. start · dismisses ~2:10 p.m.
- Enrollment: 1,284 students · capacity 1,624
- How to get in: Lottery, plus a boundary
Butler is JCPS's southwest traditional high school: uniforms, a structured day, and a college-prep course list. Admission is a lottery — not a test-in — but only if SchoolFinder says Butler is the traditional option for your address. Male High is the other traditional campus. You cannot pick freely between them. JCPS Insider is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.
2222 Crums Lane, Louisville, KY 40216 · Shively / southwest Jefferson County
Official starting points
- Butler's official JCPS page(opens in a new tab)
- JCPS SchoolFinder(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
Suda E. Butler High School opened in 1954 on 27 acres of former Sweeney and Crum farmland in Shively, built to relieve crowding at Valley. In 1988–89 it became JCPS's second traditional high school and, the school says, the first public high school in the nation to require uniforms. The name settled as Butler Traditional High School that same year. Seven additions and a 2016 window, lighting, and HVAC remodel sit on the original building.
"Traditional" here is a program, not a vibe word. The Choices Guide describes high academic standards, proper conduct, citizenship, and self-discipline in a structured environment. The school mission is to produce "informed, responsible, contributing members of society." Principal William Allen's public line is a safe, orderly building that sends graduates college-, career-, and life-ready. The daily tools are a uniform, punctuality rules, and a pre-college course map — not self-directed projects.
Who runs the building
William Allen
William Allen is principal of Butler Traditional High. Public letters to families cover dress code, punctuality, and campus safety. Assistant principals listed on the current staff page include Melissa Davis and Rob Reedy. Timothy Campbell is dean of students. Confirm names on the school site before you write a letter.
School details
- Address
- 2222 Crums Lane, Louisville, KY 40216
- Phone
- (502) 485-8220
- Official JCPS site
- jefferson.kyschools.us/o/butler(opens in a new tab)
- Hours: 7:30 a.m. – about 2:10 p.m.
- Board / zone: Trevin Bass · High School Zone
- Title I: Yes
- Colors / mascot: Red and white · Bears
- Rival / yearbook: Pleasure Ridge Park · The Den
How families get in
Butler is a lottery magnet. The 2026–27 High School Choices Guide says no extra essays, tests, or portfolios are required — same rule as Louisville Male. The catch is geography. JCPS splits traditional high school by address: your option is Butler or Male, not both. Run SchoolFinder before you spend a magnet slot.
- The lottery: apply in the JCPS magnet window. For 2026–27 that was November 3–December 19, 2025, with notices in April 2026. The 2027–28 window is listed as November 2–December 18, 2026.
- Families may list up to two magnets. On-time applications are processed together — not first-come, first-served. No sibling preference. Wait lists do not carry over to the next year.
- Jefferson County residency is required. Late applications are considered only if seats remain.
- Demand snapshot: the 2025–26 data book listed 286 magnet applications for a campus of 1,284.
- The boundary: traditional high school is not districtwide in the Brown sense. JCPS maps one traditional campus to your address. Southwest / Shively-side addresses generally point to Butler on Crums Lane. Other parts of the county point to Louisville Male on Preston Highway.
- Do not assume. SchoolFinder is the official check. The Demographics Office is (502) 485-3050 if the map and the letter disagree.
- A seat at Butler does not automatically include a bus. Magnet transportation rules have changed. Confirm the current year before you treat 7:30 a.m. on Crums Lane as a district ride.
Uniforms and the structured day
- Butler treats dress as part of the program. Current published standards (confirm the live list before you buy): solid red or white polo; khaki or black uniform slacks worn at the waist; no shorts; skirts only with an administrator exemption; only school-issued or team-approved outer layers.
- A January 2025 family note from Principal Allen said dress-code checks start first period, students would not be allowed to "fix it" after a violation, and out-of-code students would be assigned ISAP for the day. Black polos and hoodies over the uniform were listed as common violations. Rules move. Read this year's sheet.
The 2026–27 magnet window closed December 19, 2025. The 2027–28 window is listed as November 2–December 18, 2026.
Who it tends to fit
A good match when
- Your address maps to Butler, not Male.
- Your student does well with uniforms, bells, and a clear conduct code.
- You want honors, AP, dual credit, JROTC, or a health / engineering / teaching pathway inside a structured school.
- You can make a 7:30 a.m. start in Shively work.
Think twice when
- SchoolFinder assigns you to Male. Listing Butler will not rewrite the map.
- You want Brown-style self-directed learning or an arts-first magnet.
- Dress-code enforcement will be a daily fight in your house.
- You are choosing almost entirely on KSA rankings. Butler's official bands are modest; the pitch is structure and graduation, not test trophies.
Students
Figures below come from the JCPS Individual School Data Book for Butler Traditional High, 2025–26, unless noted. The diversity index is calculated from those headcounts — the chance two students picked at random are from different reported groups — not a JCPS badge.
Diversity index
57%
Black 61% · White 20% · Hispanic 12% · Two or more 5% · Asian 2%
| Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black / African American | 785 | 61% |
| White | 257 | 20% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 149 | 12% |
| Two or more races | 70 | 5% |
| Asian | 20 | 2% |
| American Indian / Alaska Native | 2 | <1% |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 1 | <1% |
Gender: 680 boys (53%) and 604 girls (47%).
- Title I: yes
- Free lunch 852 · reduced 58 · paid 374 (about 71% free/reduced in the data book)
- Gifted and talented: 144
- ECE (2024–25): 123
- 504 plans: 72
- Multilingual learners: 116
- Full-time teachers: 78
Academics
Start with the bands Butler posts from the Kentucky School Report Card. Ranking sites disagree, and they will not all match the badges on the school homepage.
- School site / KDE badges: Reading 22% proficient, 3% distinguished (25% P+D). Math 16% proficient, 5% distinguished (21% P+D). Use this in an application conversation.
- U.S. News 2026 list: 41% reading proficiency, 30% math proficiency; #91 of KY high schools; 97% graduation.
- Public School Review / SchoolDigger: bottom half of KY on tests in both subjects. Graduation rate is the standout.
- U.S. News also reports 21% of students took at least one AP exam and 6% passed at least one.
- The Choices Guide lists honors, AP, and about 20 dual-credit courses through UofL, Bellarmine, Morehead State, and JCTC.
- Pathways include Allied Health, Pre-Nursing, Army JROTC, Automation Engineering, Network Services, Marketing, Teaching and Learning, Pre-Law, and performing/visual arts. Structure is the product. State test rankings are not.
Awards and recognition
1989
Became a traditional magnet with uniforms; the school says it was the first U.S. public high school to require uniforms
U.S. News
97% graduation; top-tier rate; #91 among KY high schools
Choices Guide
Lottery traditional admission — no extra application materials
Pathways
Health, JROTC, engineering, plus dual credit and AP
Location and daily life
2222 Crums Lane sits in Shively, southwest of downtown. That is a different commute from Male on Preston Highway or Brown on First Street.
An older Butler handbook said JCPS buses students who live a mile or more from campus. Magnet transportation rules have changed districtwide. Confirm the current year in Infinite Campus and with transportation before you treat the 7:30 bell as a guaranteed ride.
Recent news, in context
Weapons on campus, as reported. Local news has published at least two Principal Allen letters about guns found in student backpacks at Butler. In one, a tip led staff and JCPS Police to a backpack; Allen wrote the gun was never used in a threatening way. In another, a late-arriving student was stopped at the secure sign-in office after staff noticed an odor; a search found a gun, and Allen wrote the student never got past that office. Discipline followed the handbook. Dates were not always stamped clearly on the stories still online — treat them as sourced incidents, not a running tally.
May 2025 lawsuit. Local outlets reported that a parent sued Principal Allen and two campus security employees in Jefferson Circuit Court after an alleged November 22, 2024 assault on her son, then a senior. The filing claimed staff had been warned and did not prevent the attack. Those are allegations in a lawsuit, not court findings.
JCPS Insider found no published teacher-arrest story tied to this campus. Other JCPS cases and other cities' "Butler High" stories are easy to mix up. A tour question about current entry screening and hallway supervision is fair.
Compare before you commit
- Louisville Male High(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)The other traditional high school. Same lottery idea, different address boundary, Preston Highway campus, stronger published test profile.
- J. Graham Brown School(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)K–12 self-directed magnet downtown. Opposite culture: no uniform, criteria for 6–12, no regular yellow bus.
- duPont Manual(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)High-demand academic magnet. Criteria, not a traditional lottery. Different intensity.
- Pleasure Ridge Park(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Nearby resides / southwest option and Butler's listed athletic rival. No traditional uniform program.
- Your resides high school(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)No lottery. Usually simpler if Butler is not offered or the uniform program is not the fit.
Questions to ask on a tour
- 1.Does my address currently map to Butler or to Male?
- 2.What does a first-period dress-code check look like this year?
- 3.How large is the Freshman Academy, and what support exists if a ninth grader struggles?
- 4.Which AP and dual-credit courses actually ran last year — not just the catalog?
- 5.Is magnet transportation offered to Crums Lane from my stop this year?
- 6.How are late arrivals handled at the secure office?
- 7.What share of last year's lottery applicants were offered a ninth-grade seat?
- 8.How do athletics and JROTC sit next to the uniform and tardy rules?
What to do next
- 1.Run SchoolFinder. If it does not list Butler, stop and look at Male or another magnet.
- 2.Read the current High School Choices Guide page for Butler and this year's dress-code sheet.
- 3.Register first if your child is new to JCPS.
- 4.Tour if you can. Showcase of Schools is the district preview.
- 5.Apply in the on-time window. Lottery only — no extra packet — but a missed deadline still costs you.
- 6.If offered a seat, hit the response date. Then call transportation and read the uniform list before opening day.