Cochran Elementary

What this school is

Cochran sits at 500 West Gaulbert Avenue in Old Louisville / 40208 — near UofL and duPont Manual, on the Seneca High cluster. Named for Gavin H. Cochran, the school name dates to 1900; the current Gaulbert Avenue building opened in 1991, and the 1900 building was the old Cochran site. The 2025–26 Individual School Data Book lists Melissa Cheatham as principal, Title I Yes, hours 9:40 a.m.–4:20 p.m., and optimal capacity 476.

This is a resides elementary in the Seneca Zone with Whitney Young Elementary at Engelhard, Goldsmith, Indian Trail, Klondike, and McFerran. It is not one of the five Traditional magnets. It is also not Cochrane Elementary (2511 Tregaron, Jeffersontown, 7:30 start) — a different school with a different zip code, principal, and bell time. If School Finder assigns the Gaulbert address here, families register.

How families get in

Cochran is one door for most families: the resides elementary tied to the address. It is a different door from Carter Traditional or Cochrane Elementary in Jeffersontown. Do not apply to Cochran as if it were a magnet unless School Finder or School Choice says it is a zone/choice option for that address.

• Run School Finder on the exact address; write down the resides elementary, the Seneca Zone, and the assigned middle/high cluster (Seneca High is listed in the data book — confirm).
• If Cochran is the resides school, register. No magnet application is required to stay.
• If you want another Seneca Zone school or a magnet, apply in the window; zone placement still considers space, siblings, and the district's published factors.
• Tour at 9:40 a.m. reality — doors on the campus Facebook page open around 9:10, and after-school care matters more here than at a 7:30 campus.
• Complete the Transportation Verification form; a magnet seat somewhere else does not automatically keep a Cochran bus.

Resides students are in the regular elementary transportation system. Complete the Transportation Verification form. Homeless, DHH, and some IEP transportation are separate legal tracks — ask where the stop actually is.

Who it tends to fit

Students

Oct. 1, 2025 race/gender file: 419 students. The Choices Guide used 419. Capacity listed: 476 (about 88% full). Title I: Yes. Counts move after the first month — use the year on the number.

Gender: 199 female · 220 male

• Economically disadvantaged: 83.1% FRL (2025–26 free/reduced trend file)
• ECE: about 18% (Dec. 1, 2024 ECE file, 79 of 429)
• Title I / CSI: Yes / CSI (2024–25 KDE report card)
• Capacity used: 419 of 476, about 88%

Academics

Look at the Kentucky School Report Card first. The live JCPS Cochran staff banner posts reading 14% proficient / 8% distinguished; the math banner is blank. The 2025–26 data book and a 2024–25 KSA extract put combined bands well below JCPS and state averages.

• Reading: 14% proficient, 8% distinguished — 22% official combined P+D.
• Math: homepage banner blank; a 2024–25 KSA extract placed combined math near 19%.
• KDE classifies Cochran as CSI; combined reading P+D near 22% and math near 19% sit well below JCPS elementary averages (about 37% and 31%) and the state. The House System and Leader in Me are the published culture response — not a substitute for the report card.

Awards and recognition

• Deaf/Hard of Hearing program

  Three self-contained DHH units, ASL, and STEM are part of the campus program (KDE diagnostic).

• Four C's and Leader in Me

  Culture and Climate, Classroom, Collaboration, and Community (#CTheSuccess), paired with Leader in Me.

• House System

  A first-year Ron Clark Academy House System launched in 2025–26; a Feb. 2026 Cognia review noted referrals falling from 961 (2024–25) to 373 year-to-date.

Location and daily life

Gaulbert Avenue in 40208 is Old Louisville — walkable to UofL, close to Manual, a different calculation from 40241 or 40229.

The 9:40 start is the household fact: mornings are later, afternoons run to 4:20. After-school care matters more here than at a 7:30 campus. Dress code is not a Traditional uniform — ask for this year's handout.

Compare before you commit

• Whitney Young Elementary at Engelhard / Goldsmith / McFerran / KlondikeOther Seneca Zone elementaries.
• Cochrane ElementaryA different school in Jeffersontown (2511 Tregaron, 40299) with a different zip code, principal, and a 7:30 a.m. start — do not confuse it with Cochran.
• Carter Traditional ElementaryA boundary-based Traditional magnet with a separate application path.

Questions to ask on a tour

1. 1.Is Cochran my resides school?
2. 2.How do DHH units join general-education classes during a typical week?
3. 3.How many minutes are in the grade-level reading block?
4. 4.How does the current improvement plan (CSI status) change classroom practice?
5. 5.What care is available around the 9:40 a.m.–4:20 p.m. schedule?
6. 6.Which middle school does my address feed — is Seneca High confirmed?

What to do next

1. 1.Run School Finder and verify you selected Cochran, not Cochrane in Jeffersontown.
2. 2.Register if new to JCPS or entering kindergarten.
3. 3.Apply during the on-time window only if choosing another Seneca Zone school or a magnet.
4. 4.Tour during the school day and ask about DHH inclusion and the current improvement plan.
5. 5.Complete Transportation Verification and confirm the route.