Marion C. Moore School

Combined 6–12 resides campus with Explore Pathways and Academies of Louisville

Combined 6–12 · Resides + Explore · Academies of Louisville 9–12 · Outer Loop · Mustangs / Thoroughbreds

Grades: 6th–12th
How to get in: Resides + Explore
School day: 7:30 a.m. start

Moore is not a standalone middle school. It is a combined 6–12 campus on Outer Loop — one of the largest buildings in the district. Most students attend because the address is assigned here. Middle grades run Explore Pathways; high school runs Academies of Louisville. The current Middle School Choices Guide does not list an MST magnet at Moore — address-based MST magnets are at Farnsley, Meyzeek, and Newburg. The word Traditional was dropped from the name in 2017. JCPS Insider is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.

6415 Outer Loop · Louisville / Newburg-Fern Creek corridor · Kentucky

Official starting points

School Choice:(502) 485-6250 schoolchoice@jefferson.kyschools.us

What this school is

Moore sits on Outer Loop in the Newburg / Fern Creek / south-central belt. The campus opened in 1969. In 2017 the district dropped “Traditional” from the name. The school's own line is: we are not traditional, we are unique, we are Moore. That is branding. The building is still a large combined 6–12.

Choices language sells the seven-year stay: a student can enter in sixth grade and leave as a senior without changing campuses. High school Academies of Louisville sit upstairs of that promise. Middle school Explore Pathways — Consumer Science, Engineering and Design, Healthcare Science — rotate in nine-week blocks, then students pick a path.

Who runs the building

Heather Hoerter

Heather Hoerter was named executive principal on Aug. 4, 2025 after six weeks as interim. Prior roles at Moore include Health Sciences Academy principal, high school assistant principal, and counselor. Listed on the 2025–26 high-school data book. Confirm the name on the school site before you write a letter.

School details

Address: 6415 Outer Loop, Louisville, KY 40228
Phone: (502) 485-8304
Official JCPS site: jefferson.kyschools.us/o/moore(opens in a new tab)

Start: 7:30 a.m. (data book)
Title I: Yes
Mascots: Mustangs (high school) / Thoroughbreds (middle school)

How families get in

If Moore is your resides 6–12, you do not submit a magnet application to attend. Fifth-graders already in JCPS move automatically unless they live in a Choice Zone or apply somewhere else. Confirm the address in School Finder — combined campuses confuse maps.

Explore Pathways are for students who already attend. Families do not apply separately for Explore.
Academies of Louisville at Moore are for Moore high-school students, not a districtwide lottery into this building.
Student transfer is a different form and is not guaranteed.
If you want an MST magnet, current Choices material points to Farnsley, Meyzeek, or Newburg — not Moore.

Two levels, one campus — not an MST magnet

Resides / Explore is the middle-school door. Academies of Louisville are the high-school door for students already on this campus.
Sitting in Moore for middle school does not lock a high-school Academy seat at another building. It does keep a student here if the family stays.

The 2026–27 magnet window (for other schools) was November 3–December 19, 2025. That window is closed.

Who it tends to fit

A good match when

You want one campus from sixth through twelfth and Outer Loop is already the commute.
Explore-to-Academy continuity matters more than a Traditional magnet culture.
Health sciences, engineering, or culinary is the family interest.

Think twice when

You want a small middle school that never shares a building with 17-year-olds.
State scores are the only filter — published bands here are low at both levels.
You assumed “Moore Traditional” still describes the culture. The name changed in 2017.

Students

JCPS reports Moore in two files. Middle grades 6–8: 667. High school 9–12: 1,024. Combined campus: 1,691, from the Oct. 1, 2025 data books. Choices Guide lists 595 (6–8) and 1,021 (9–12). Title I: Yes.

Diversity index

72%

Standard racial/ethnic diversity index using the combined Oct. 1, 2025 headcounts (1,691). Hispanic and Black students are the two largest groups.

Reported race and ethnicity counts for Marion C. Moore School
Group	Students	Share
Hispanic / Latino	574	34%
Black / African American	549	32%
White	395	23%
Asian	96	6%
Two or more races	76	4%

Gender: Not broken out separately in the source data books.

Choices 6–8 / 9–12: 595 / 1,021
HS free lunch 679 of 1,024 · 66%
HS multilingual learners 299
HS gifted and talented 109
Title I: Yes · start 7:30 a.m. (confirm MS vs HS bells)

Academics

Use the Kentucky School Report Card first. These bands are from the school banner figures, split by level.

Middle school: reading 17% proficient, 7% distinguished. Math 15% proficient, 3% distinguished.
High school: reading 13% proficient, 3% distinguished. Math 8% proficient, 1% distinguished.
Combined proficient+distinguished bands are low at both levels — closer to Thomas Jefferson than to Crosby.
Ask how sixth-graders and seniors actually share hallways, and whether Explore rotations reach every team or a subset.

Awards and recognition

KMEA Distinguished
Band, orchestra, and chorus ratings
21+ languages
Choices copy on student languages spoken across the combined campus

Location and daily life

6415 Outer Loop, 40228 — south of the Watterson, near Fern Creek and Newburg. A combined campus means one address for sixth-graders and seniors. The 2025–26 high-school data book lists a 7:30 a.m. start; confirm whether middle and high school share that bell.

Programs include Explore Pathways (Consumer Science, Engineering and Design, Healthcare Science) in middle school and Academies of Louisville (Community — culinary, hospitality, teaching; Health Sciences; STEM — engineering, electrical, film) in high school, plus Algebra I and health/PE for high school credit in middle grades, KMEA-rated arts, Beta, BSU, Hispanic Student Union, HOSA, and athletics from archery through wrestling.

Recent news, in context

August 4, 2025: Heather Hoerter named executive principal.

August 1, 2025: a fire in the Health Science Academy / Medical Arts wing was investigated as arson, and two people were charged. Labs and classrooms were lost; a nonprofit restocked equipment, and WAVE reported the Medical Arts rooms reopened in March 2026.

Courier-Journal enrollment notes show Moore was down 239 students in fall 2025 versus the prior year. Ask to walk the rebuilt Health Sciences wing and a middle-school team on the same visit. JCPS posts school-level suspension totals, and those numbers move.

Compare before you commit

Questions to ask on a tour

1.Is Moore still the resides 6–12 for my address?
2.Do sixth-graders and seniors share lunch, buses, and hallways — and how is that managed?
3.What does an Explore rotation look like in a normal week, not a showcase week?
4.Is the Health Sciences wing fully open after the 2025 fire?
5.Which Academy do most Moore eighth-graders actually enter as freshmen?
6.Are middle and high school on the same 7:30 bell?
7.If I want MST, should I be looking at Farnsley, Meyzeek, or Newburg instead?

What to do next

1.Run your address in School Finder. Combined campuses are easy to misread.
2.If Moore is your resides school, register if you are new to JCPS. No magnet application is required.
3.If you want an MST magnet, use the current Choices Guide — Farnsley, Meyzeek, or Newburg.
4.Tour if you can. Ask to see a sixth-grade team and a Health Sciences lab on the same visit.
5.Complete the Transportation Verification form if you need a bus.
6.If you are offered a different school, read the deadline on the letter.