Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts School
Kentucky's first public elementary performing-arts magnet
Whole-school JCPS magnet · Grades K–5 · Phoenix Hill
- Grades: Kindergarten–5th
- How to get in: District lottery
- School day: Starts 8:40 a.m.
An independent look at a JCPS magnet parents often put on the same list as Brown and the traditional elementary magnets. JCPS Insider is not run by Jefferson County Public Schools. Confirm dates, buses, and scores with the district.
930 East Main Street · Phoenix Hill · Louisville, Kentucky
Official starting points
- Lincoln'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
Lincoln is a whole-school JCPS magnet at 930 East Main Street. Regular elementary academics share the day with dance, drama, music, and performance. It is not a test-in school and not an audition school. For 2026–27, elementary magnet seats were filled by lottery.
The campus became JCPS's elementary performing-arts magnet in the late 2000s, after years as a neighborhood school. An $8 million addition added a black box theater of about 3,000 square feet, a piano lab, practice rooms, and dance studios. Students take band, orchestra, piano, percussion, vocal music, dance, and drama alongside reading and math. Productions such as Annie Jr. are part of school life. Families will see the purple-wizard identity everywhere.
Who runs the building
Principal Samantha Miller
Samantha Miller became principal on July 1, 2025. She came from Price Elementary, where she was an assistant principal. She taught in Bullitt County, holds a music degree from the University of Louisville, and is a Youth Performing Arts School graduate. The person leading the arts magnet came up through JCPS performing arts.
School details
- Address
- 930 East Main Street, Louisville, KY 40206
- Phone
- (502) 485-8291
- Official JCPS site
- jefferson.kyschools.us/o/lincoln(opens in a new tab)
- Start time: 8:40 a.m.
- Title I school
- Family Resource Center: Felicia Ward, (502) 214-7391
How families get in
Lincoln is a districtwide elementary magnet. You apply during the JCPS school-choice window. You do not send an audition tape or a portfolio for this elementary magnet.
- Families may list up to two magnet schools or programs.
- On-time applications are processed together after the deadline. It is not first-come, first-served.
- If Lincoln is not offered, JCPS may place the student on a waiting list for that year only. Lists do not carry over.
- Late applications are considered only if seats remain.
- New-to-JCPS and incoming kindergarten families must register before they can apply.
- A seat at Lincoln does not automatically include a bus. Magnet transportation rules have changed. Check the current rules for your address.
Most recent window · 2026–27
- Apply November 3 – December 19, 2025
- Notices April 2026
Confirm the next window on the JCPS calendar before you treat these dates as current.
Who it tends to fit
A good match when
- Your child wants music, dance, or theater in the school day — not only as an after-school add-on.
- Your family can make a downtown East Main commute work.
- You are comfortable with a lottery instead of an audition.
Think twice when
- You are choosing almost entirely on state test rankings.
- You need guaranteed district transportation and have not confirmed that Lincoln still qualifies for your address.
- You expected a high-scoring academics magnet rather than an arts campus.
Demand is real. JCPS's 2025–26 school data book listed 411 magnet applications and about 582 students enrolled, with building capacity of 713.
Students
Figures come from the JCPS Individual School Data Book for Lincoln Elementary Performing Arts, 2025–26, unless noted. Counts can shift after the first month of school. Enrollment: 582 students in grades K–5. Student-teacher ratio: about 16 to 1.
Diversity index
62%
This is a standard racial and ethnic diversity index: the chance that two students picked at random come from different reported groups. Public School Review reports a similar figure.
| Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black / African American | 291 | 50% |
| White | 200 | 34% |
| Two or more races | 47 | 8% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 37 | 6% |
| Asian | 5 | 1% |
| Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander | 2 | <1% |
Gender: 375 girls (64%) · 207 boys (36%) Arts magnets often enroll more girls than boys.
- Gifted and talented 91
- ECE 72
- 504 plans 26
- Multilingual learners 19
- Free lunch 287
- Paid 274
Academics
Look at the Kentucky School Report Card first. Ranking websites do not all use the same year or the same formula, and they disagree.
- Lincoln's JCPS page posts these KDE bands: reading 27% proficient and 15% distinguished; math 19% proficient and 6% distinguished.
- U.S. News' 2026 list places Lincoln No. 224 of 667 Kentucky elementary schools and reports higher combined proficiency (50% reading, 41% math).
- A 2015 Courier-Journal feature found scores had risen after the arts program began, while the school was still classified as needing improvement. The arts identity is the point of the campus. It has not been a top-statewide testing school.
- Kindergarten readiness on the Brigance screen in the 2025–26 data book was 23.4%. If you are entering kindergarten, ask how Lincoln groups incoming students and what reading support looks like in first grade.
Awards and recognition
Magnet Schools of America
Certified National Magnet School
Rainbow Ribbon 2026
JCPS LGBTQ+ Advisory Committee
U.S. News 2026
No. 224 of 667 Kentucky elementaries
Hilliard Lyons 2013
Elementary PLC Award
Lincoln is not a National Blue Ribbon school. Other campuses named Lincoln have won that award. This one has not.
Location and daily life
The building sits on East Main in Phoenix Hill, east of downtown. That is convenient if you already travel that corridor. It is a different calculation if you live in the Southwest or far East End and need a bus that may or may not be assigned.
School-day life includes Quick Recall, basketball against other magnets, grade-level fundraisers, Veterans Day programs, and ticketed shows. Ask how often rehearsals run past dismissal. A public Veterans Day program is on the school's YouTube channel if you want a sense of a performance before you tour.
Recent news, in context
In February 2026, WAVE and WDRB reported that the principal wrote families about a January incident. Security cameras recorded students in “inappropriate behavior” during wellness time. The school said it contacted JCPS Police, JCPS Compliance and Investigations, and Child Protective Services. Families were told the letter went out because inaccurate claims were circulating online.
That was an investigation as reported, not a court case. If you are touring, it is fair to ask how wellness time is supervised now. JCPS Insider found no published teacher-arrest story tied to this campus.
Compare before you commit
- J. Graham Brown School(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Another high-demand choice campus, with a different model.
- Hawthorne Elementary(opens the official JCPS page in a new tab)Another specialized elementary magnet.
- Traditional magnetsAudubon, Carter, Greathouse/Shryock, Schaffner, and Foster.
- Your resides schoolNo lottery, and usually simpler transportation.
- Western Middle School for the ArtsAn arts pathway after elementary — not an automatic Lincoln seat.
Questions to ask on a tour
- 1.How many minutes of dance, music, and drama does each grade get in a normal week?
- 2.Are productions during the school day, in the evening, or both — and is there a late-pickup plan?
- 3.What reading and math support exists for students who love the arts but need extra academic time?
- 4.Does my address currently qualify for magnet transportation to Lincoln?
- 5.What does after-school care look like on this campus?
- 6.How is unstructured time supervised?
What to do next
- 1.Confirm Lincoln is still a choice you can apply for in the current Choices Guide.
- 2.Register first if your child is new to JCPS or entering kindergarten.
- 3.Tour if you can. Showcase of Schools is the district-wide preview; Lincoln also runs its own events.
- 4.Apply in the on-time window.
- 5.If you are offered a seat, read the deadline on the placement letter.
- 6.Call transportation and the school office before you assume the bus.