duPont Manual High School
Districtwide academic magnet with five programs, including YPAS
Grades 9–12 · districtwide magnet · Criteria portal + YPAS audition · Crimsons
- Grades: 9th–12th
- School day: 7:30 a.m. start · A/B block to ~2:10
- Enrollment: 1,918 students · capacity 2,066
- How to get in: Criteria + portal · YPAS adds audition
Manual is JCPS's highest-published academic magnet: five programs (HSU, MST, J&C, Visual Arts, YPAS) on an 1892 campus across from the University of Louisville. Admission is competitive — a JCPS magnet application plus a Manual criteria portal. YPAS also requires an audition. U.S. News ranks it No. 1 in Kentucky. It is not a lottery school. JCPS Insider is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.
120 W. Lee St. · Old Louisville, across from UofL · Kentucky
Official starting points
- Manual's official JCPS page(opens in a new tab)
- School site + admissions(opens in a new tab)
- YPAS(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
Opened in 1892 with support from Victor duPont. Magnet since 1984. YPAS joined in 1978 and sits next door at 1517 South Second Street. Colors are crimson and white. Teams are the Crimsons; the ram is the adopted mark. Motto on school materials: Excellence, Diversity, Tradition. Old Louisville campus, a few blocks north of Churchill Downs, across from UofL.
Every student enrolls in one magnet. High School University is the broad college-prep track. MST leans math, science, and technology. Journalism and Communication runs newspaper, yearbook, broadcast, and debate. Visual Arts is a studio magnet. YPAS is the performing-arts major — band, dance, design and production, guitar, musical theatre, orchestra, piano, theatre, vocal — with academics taken at Manual. Advance Program and 30-plus AP courses sit on top of all five.
Who runs the building
Dr. Michael Newman
Dr. Michael Newman is principal of duPont Manual High. Assistant principals include Paula Boggs, Dwight Bransford, Dawn Roy, and Jasmine Romans (YPAS). Athletic director listed as Madison Clement on the school contact page; KHSAA also lists David Zuberer. Confirm the live staff page.
School details
- Address
- 120 W. Lee St., Louisville, KY 40208
- Phone
- (502) 485-8241
- Official JCPS site
- jefferson.kyschools.us/o/manual(opens in a new tab)
- YPAS: 1517 S. Second St., 40208
- Hours: 7:30 a.m. – about 2:10 p.m.
- Board / zone: Gail Strange · High School Zone
- Title I: No
- Colors / mascot: Crimson and white · Crimsons
How families get in
Two steps. First, the JCPS magnet application in the district window. Second, the duPont Manual Criteria Portal — essays, activities, recommendations, and any work sample or audition the magnet requires. Manual's own site says files are scored on test scores, attendance, extracurriculars, grades, essays, and recommendations. Butler and Male are lotteries. Manual is not.
- The five magnets: HSU — college-prep core with electives. MST — engineering, science, and math pipeline. J&C — writing, media, debate; on-demand writing on the application. VA — studio work samples. YPAS — audition plus the same academic file; majors listed in the Choices Guide.
- Students can sometimes take electives across magnets if the schedule allows. YPAS is semi-autonomous: its own assistant principal, counselor, and parent group.
- For 2026–27 the JCPS window was November 3–December 19, 2025. Manual's criteria deadline ran with that window; recommendations were due in early January. Notices for first-choice files were emailed in February 2026 on Manual's calendar (district letters also listed April).
- 2027–28 materials are posted on the Manual Admissions Google Site in September 2026. Portal opens in November.
- List Manual or YPAS as first choice if that is the school you want. Second-choice files are opened only if seats remain after first-choice review.
- JCPS students: the school pulls attendance, GPA, and district tests. Non-JCPS families upload transcripts, scores, and three years of attendance.
- Demand snapshot: 946 magnet applications in the 2025–26 data book for a campus of 1,918.
What that means
- A complete file beats a late one. Missing a recommendation or the on-demand writing piece is how otherwise eligible students drop out.
- YPAS: mark YPAS as first choice on the JCPS form and complete the audition. Academics still matter.
- No sibling preference. Wait lists do not carry over. Jefferson County residency is required.
- Magnet transportation is not automatic. Confirm the current year before you treat Lee Street as a guaranteed bus ride.
- Meyzeek, Noe, and other magnet middles help some applicants build a file. They are not a back door. Every applicant is scored on the same rubric, public and private alike.
Confirm start times, transportation, and the current Manual criteria packet before you apply.
Who it tends to fit
A good match when
- Grades, scores, and two recommenders will be ready on deadline.
- A specific magnet — MST, YPAS, J&C — is the reason you are applying.
- A 7:30 Old Louisville start and a heavy AP load are workable.
- You want the published #1 Kentucky test profile.
Think twice when
- You need a lottery with no extra packet. That is Butler or Male.
- Completing essays, work samples, or an audition in the window is unlikely.
- You want Central's career-pathway model or Brown's self-directed K–12.
- The commute to Lee Street or Second Street will not hold.
Students
Figures below come from the JCPS Individual School Data Book for Dupont Manual 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
69%
White 48% · Asian 21% · Black 19% · Hispanic 7% · Two or more 6%
| Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| White | 916 | 48% |
| Asian | 400 | 21% |
| Black / African American | 355 | 19% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 130 | 7% |
| Two or more races | 110 | 6% |
Gender: 828 boys (43%) and 1,090 girls (57%)
- Title I: No
- Free lunch 346 · reduced 66 · paid 1,506 (about 21% free/reduced)
- Gifted and talented: 1,137
- ECE (2024–25): 57
- 504 plans: 193
- Multilingual learners: 20
- Full-time teachers: 104
- KDE indicator rating: 5 / Blue
Academics
Start with the bands Manual posts from the Kentucky School Report Card. Ranking sites will not all match, but they point the same direction.
- School site / KDE badges — Reading: 31% proficient, 55% distinguished (86% P+D). Math: 30% proficient, 53% distinguished (83% P+D). Science 62% P+D · writing 78% P+D.
- U.S. News 2025–26 list — #1 in Kentucky, #136 nationally. 80% took an AP exam; 99.24 overall score.
- Choices Guide — Highest ACT average in KY; most National Merit / GSP / GSA. 30+ AP courses; dual credit with UofL.
- School site also cites a 98% college-acceptance figure. That is a school claim, not a KDE band. The academic story is real; the workload is the tradeoff. Ask what share of ninth graders stay in the magnet they entered.
Awards and recognition
1892
Founded as Manual with Victor duPont support; magnet since 1984
1991
National School of Excellence, U.S. Department of Education
U.S. News
#1 public HS in Kentucky · #136 nationally on the 2025–26 list
1978
YPAS on Second Street; audition magnet, academics at Manual
Location and daily life
120 West Lee Street is Old Louisville, across from UofL, north of Churchill Downs. YPAS is 1517 South Second. Handbook bell: students on upper floors at 7:15, first block 7:30–9:00, last academic block ends about 2:10.
Office hours on the contact page run later. Magnet transportation is year-specific. Parking is a lottery. Confirm both before you treat the commute as settled.
Recent news, in context
October 2025 — YPAS theater teacher charged. The U.S. Attorney for the Western District of Kentucky announced federal charges against a theater teacher at YPAS for possessing and distributing child sexual abuse material. The complaint said he sent images to an undercover officer in August 2025 and admitted sending and receiving material online. JCPS told families he would not report to campus. The Department of Justice said authorities had not identified a current or former Manual student as a victim; the investigation was ongoing. Charges are allegations until a court decides them.
2023–2025 — former football coach. A former Manual teacher and head football coach was charged in 2023 with sex-abuse and related counts involving a juvenile. A July 2025 grand-jury indictment added counts against him and two other men. He pleaded not guilty to the original charges. Those cases belong in court, not in a tour hallway — but they are why families ask about current staff screening.
A 2022 resignation and later conviction of a former J&C department chair is older public record. Ask who oversees magnets now, not who used to.
Compare before you commit
- J. Graham Brown School(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Also top-ranked. K–12 self-directed magnet, much smaller, different daily culture.
- Louisville Male / Butler(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Traditional magnets. Lottery, uniforms, no extra packet. Different product.
- Central High MCA(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Criteria magnet with career pathways (law, pre-med). Lower published KSA bands.
- Ballard / Atherton / Eastern(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Also in the U.S. News Kentucky top 25. Resides or choice-zone options for some addresses.
- Your resides high school(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)No criteria portal. The fallback if Manual does not offer a seat.
Questions to ask on a tour
- 1.Exactly which portal items does this magnet require this year, and when are they due?
- 2.What GPA / score range typically received a first-choice offer last cycle?
- 3.If we list Manual second, when — if ever — is that file opened?
- 4.Can a ninth grader switch magnets after arrival?
- 5.How many AP and UofL dual-credit seats actually ran last year?
- 6.Is magnet transportation offered from my stop to Lee Street this year?
- 7.For YPAS: what does the audition look like, and who sits in the room?
- 8.Who currently chairs J&C, theatre, and athletics — and how is staff screening handled?
What to do next
- 1.Read the current High School Choices Guide pages for Manual and for YPAS.
- 2.Open the Manual Admissions Google Site when September materials post.
- 3.Register first if your child is new to JCPS. Then file the district magnet application as first choice.
- 4.Build the portal file — recommenders, essay, work sample or audition — before the local deadline.
- 5.Tour if you can. Showcase of Schools is the district preview; YPAS has its own events.
- 6.If offered a seat, hit the response date. Then call transportation and, if needed, the parking lottery.