Central High School Magnet Career Academy
West-Louisville criteria career magnet, founded 1870 as Kentucky's first Black high school
Whole-school magnet 9–12 · criteria, not a lottery · Law, pre-med, nursing, JROTC, teaching, STEM pathways · Yellowjackets
- Grades: 9th–12th
- How to get in: Criteria magnet · not a lottery
- School day: 7:30 a.m. start
Central is JCPS's west-Louisville career magnet: law, pre-med, nursing, dental assisting, Navy JROTC, teaching, and STEM pathways on a campus founded in 1870 as Kentucky's first African American high school. Admission is competitive — test scores, GPA, essays, and teacher recommendations — not a lottery. This guide separates the pathway pitch from the published test bands. JCPS Insider is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.
1130 W. Chestnut Street · Russell / west Louisville · Kentucky
Official starting points
- Central's official JCPS page(opens in a new tab)
- JCPS student assignment(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
Central Colored School opened in 1870. It was the first African American high school in Kentucky. The campus moved several times and has sat at Eleventh and Chestnut, in Russell, since 1952. The current name is Central High Magnet Career Academy. Colors are black and gold. The mascot is the Yellowjackets. The motto on school materials is "Simply the Best."
Today the whole campus is a career-themed magnet. There is no resides attendance zone. Students come from across Jefferson County. The Choices Guide lists ten career programs under Business, Law, STEM, Health Services, and Teaching and Learning, plus Navy JROTC, AP Capstone, dual credit, and a public high-school Montessori option — one of two in Kentucky. The pitch is a pathway, not a generic comprehensive high school.
Who runs the building
Dr. Tamela Compton
Dr. Tamela Compton is principal of Central High Magnet Career Academy. A 2024 welcome-back video lists 7:30 a.m. to 2:10 p.m., doors at 6:50, and late arrivals through a designated door. Public letters also cover campus safety. Confirm the current staff page for assistant principals by grade.
School details
- Address
- 1130 W. Chestnut St., Louisville, KY 40203
- Phone
- (502) 485-8226
- Official JCPS site
- jefferson.kyschools.us/o/centralhs(opens in a new tab)
- Start: 7:30 a.m. · dismissal about 2:10 p.m.
- Board / zone: Gail Strange · High School Zone
- Title I: Yes
- Colors / mascot: Black and gold · Yellowjackets
- Neighborhood: Russell · west Louisville
How families get in
Central is a criteria magnet. The 2026–27 High School Choices Guide says students are selected through a competitive process that includes achievement test scores, GPA, personal essays, and teacher recommendations. That is the opposite of Butler and Male, which use a lottery and need no extra packet.
- 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.
- Some magnets ask for extra materials. Incomplete files are not considered. Send what Central requests to the school, not only to the district portal.
- Families may list up to two magnets. On-time applications are processed together.
- No sibling preference. Wait lists do not carry over. Jefferson County residency is required.
- A strong eighth-grade record helps. So does a complete file. An essay and two recommendations that never arrive will sink an otherwise eligible student.
- Central is districtwide. You do not need a Chestnut Street address. You do need to confirm magnet transportation for this year — rules have changed.
- Choosing a pathway on the application does not lock a career for life, but it is how the school describes itself. Tour the law courtroom, the health labs, or the Montessori rooms if that is the reason you are applying.
- Late applications are considered only if seats remain after the criteria review.
Demand snapshot
- The 2025–26 data book listed 766 magnet applications for a campus of 1,240.
Who it tends to fit
A good match when
- Your student has grades, scores, and adults who will write recommendations on time.
- A specific pathway — law, pre-med, nursing, JROTC, teaching — is the reason you are applying.
- A west-Louisville 7:30 start is workable.
- You want a historically Black campus with a live career theme.
Think twice when
- You need a lottery with no extra packet. That is Butler or Male.
- You want Brown-style self-directed learning or Manual-level test rankings as the main filter.
- Completing essays and recommendations during the window is unlikely.
- You are choosing only on KSA bands. Central's official scores are modest; the pitch is pathway plus graduation.
Students
Figures below come from the JCPS Individual School Data Book for Central High Magnet Career Academy, 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
44%
Black 73% · Hispanic 14% · White 5% · Two or more 5% · Asian 4%
| Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black / African American | 910 | 73% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 169 | 14% |
| White | 60 | 5% |
| Two or more races | 57 | 5% |
| Asian | 44 | 4% |
Gender: 407 boys (33%) and 833 girls (67%) — a large female majority.
- Total enrollment 1,240 · capacity 1,380
- Title I: yes
- Free lunch 807 · reduced 82 · paid 351 (about 72% free/reduced)
- Gifted and talented: 279
- ECE (2024–25): 72
- 504 plans: 43
- Multilingual learners: 93
- Full-time teachers: 78
Academics
Start with the bands Central posts from the Kentucky School Report Card. Ranking sites will not all match the homepage badges.
- School site / KDE badges: Reading 28% proficient, 9% distinguished (37% P+D). Math 20% proficient, 3% distinguished (23% P+D). Use this in an application conversation.
- U.S. News 2026 list: Reading 34% proficiency, Math 18% proficiency. #86 of KY high schools; 97% graduation; 56% took an AP exam; 14% passed at least one AP exam.
- Public School Review: bottom half of KY on tests for both reading and math. Graduation rate is the standout.
- The Choices Guide says Central has the second-highest number of Governor's Scholars in the district. Pathways and dual credit are the academic story the school tells. Statewide test rankings are not.
Awards and recognition
1870
First Black high school in Kentucky — opened as Central Colored School
1960
Muhammad Ali, class of 1960 (then Cassius Clay); a renaming bid failed in 1978
Choices Guide
Second-most Governor's Scholars in the district; plus AP Capstone and dual credit
2017
Public high-school Montessori option — one of two Kentucky high schools listed
Location and daily life
1130 West Chestnut Street is in Russell, west of downtown, a different commute from Manual, Male, or Butler. Principal Compton's 2024 arrival video: doors open 6:50 a.m., school 7:30–2:10, car riders and walkers use a designated door, students who leave campus after arrival are marked absent. Magnet transportation is not automatic. Confirm the current year in Infinite Campus.
Recent news, in context
March 4, 2026 — parent arrest and brief lockdown. WDRB reported that JCPS Police detained a 33-year-old man at gunpoint just inside Central's entrance around 7:15 a.m. as students arrived. Body-camera video, WDRB said, showed him being buzzed in; no weapon was found. He was charged with criminal trespassing and disorderly conduct and pleaded not guilty. Principal Compton wrote that the campus was briefly locked down and that no students or staff were harmed. WDRB said details in the school letter appeared to conflict with the video on whether the encounter happened inside or outside. JCPS did not directly answer that question in the story. Charges are allegations until a court decides them.
JCPS Insider found no published teacher-arrest story tied to this campus. Other cities and other "Central High" campuses are easy to mix up.
A tour question about current entry screening — who is buzzed in, and how late arrivals are handled — is fair after that morning.
Compare before you commit
- duPont Manual(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)High-demand academic magnet with criteria. Different intensity and published test profile.
- W.E.B. DuBois Academy(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Another districtwide magnet on the Choices list. Confirm current grade span and criteria.
- Louisville Male / Butler(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Traditional magnets. Lottery, no extra packet, uniform culture. Different product.
- J. Graham Brown School(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)K–12 self-directed magnet downtown. Opposite daily culture.
- Your resides high school(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)No criteria packet. The fallback if Central does not offer a seat.
Questions to ask on a tour
- 1.Exactly which extra materials does Central require this year, and where do they go?
- 2.What GPA / score range typically received an offer last cycle?
- 3.Can a ninth grader switch pathways after arrival?
- 4.Which dual-credit and AP Capstone sections actually ran last year?
- 5.Is magnet transportation offered from my stop to Chestnut Street this year?
- 6.How does arrival work after 7:30, and who is buzzed through the front?
- 7.What does the Montessori high-school option look like in a classroom?
- 8.How large is the pre-med / UofL Health pipeline this year?
What to do next
- 1.Read the current High School Choices Guide page for Central and the school's own application instructions.
- 2.Register first if your child is new to JCPS.
- 3.Line up recommendations and the essay before the window closes. Incomplete files lose.
- 4.Tour if you can. Showcase of Schools is the district preview.
- 5.Apply in the on-time window and send extra materials to the school.
- 6.If offered a seat, hit the response date. Then call transportation before opening day.