Frederick Law Olmsted Academy North
JCPS's all-boys public middle school, listed under Resides Schools
All boys · grades 6–8 · Enhanced Support Zone · Olmsted Academy South is the girls campus and the districtwide magnet
- Grades: 6th–8th, boys
- How to get in: Resides assignment
- School day: 8:40 a.m.–3:20 p.m.
Olmsted Academy North is JCPS's all-boys public middle school, the first in Kentucky. Current Choices lists it under Resides Schools. The districtwide Gender-Specific and STEAM magnet in that guide is Olmsted Academy South, the girls campus — not North. If School Finder assigns a boy here, he is the resides student. JCPS Insider is not affiliated with Jefferson County Public Schools.
4530 Bellevue Avenue · South Louisville · Kentucky
Official starting points
- Olmsted North's official JCPS page(opens in a new tab)
- JCPS student assignment(opens in a new tab)
- School Finder(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
Olmsted Academy North sits at 4530 Bellevue Avenue and serves boys in grades 6–8. It was the first all-boys public middle school in Kentucky. There is a dress code, and the advisory period is titled WIN — What I Need. Choices lists the campus under Resides Schools, and the school profile carries a KDE rating of Red / Level 1 inside the Enhanced Support Zone.
Related arts listed include engineering, consumer science, physical education, health, art, band, orchestra, chorus, drama, computers, STLP, and Spanish. Leadership options include Student Council, STLP, peer mediation, and the Principal's Advisory Council. Athletics include football, basketball, soccer, cross country, track, and spring flag football, with karate and robotics clubs listed. The About page says students come from 48 countries.
Who runs the building
Gerard Garrett
Gerard Garrett is listed as principal. Grade-level assistant principals and counselors listed are Tania Merced with Elizabeth Lewis (6th), DWayne Roberts with Chad Hart (7th), and T'Andrea Mayes with Sarah LaVera (8th). Older counselor pages naming other staff are not treated as current. Confirm names on the school site before you write a letter.
School details
- Address
- 4530 Bellevue Avenue, Louisville, KY 40215
- Phone
- (502) 485-8331
- Official JCPS site
- jefferson.kyschools.us/o/oan(opens in a new tab)
- School day: 8:40 a.m.–3:20 p.m.
- Title I: Yes
- Board district: Gail Logan Strange · District 5
- Enrollment by sex: 480 boys · 0 girls
How families get in
If School Finder assigns a boy to Olmsted Academy North, he is automatically enrolled as a current JCPS fifth-grader unless another assignment rule applies. Families outside the attendance area who want North should check current JCPS transfer options with the Office of School Choice — that is not a magnet application. Girls whose resides school is Olmsted Academy South attend South, which also has a districtwide Gender-Specific and STEAM magnet that requires an application.
- Run School Finder. Write down the resides middle school and whether it is North or South.
- If Olmsted North is the resides school for a boy, register.
- Outside the attendance area, ask School Choice about a transfer — not a magnet application.
- Tour Bellevue Avenue during the academic day, not only athletics.
- Watch the response deadline if a seat is offered.
Buses follow the resides rule
- Resides students use regular middle-school transportation.
- A transfer is not automatically a magnet bus. Confirm 2026–27 on the Transportation Verification form.
Official 2027–28 application window: November 2, 2026 through December 18, 2026.
Who it tends to fit
A good match when
- School Finder assigns a boy here.
- You want a single-sex middle school with a dress code and an advisory period.
- You will tour the classroom, not only the athletics program.
Think twice when
- You need high published proficiency.
- You want a coed Traditional magnet.
- You are enrolling a girl — that is Olmsted Academy South.
Students
Counts come from the 2025–26 individual data book labeled Frederick Law Olmsted Academy North: 480 students, all male, in a building listed at 644 optimal capacity. Multilingual learners: 216. Gifted and talented: 55. Title I: Yes.
Diversity index
69%
Standard racial/ethnic diversity index using the 480-student data-book headcount. Black students are the largest group, with Hispanic students next.
| Group | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Black / African American | 215 | 45% |
| Hispanic / Latino | 118 | 25% |
| White | 87 | 18% |
| Asian | 29 | 6% |
| Two or more races | 28 | 6% |
Gender: All boys — 480 male students, 0 female.
- Headcount 480 · 2025–26 data book
- Listed capacity 644
- Multilingual learners 216 · gifted and talented 55
- Title I: Yes
- School day 8:40 a.m.–3:20 p.m.
Academics
Use the Kentucky School Report Card first. The figures below are the live banners on the Olmsted North site; confirm the official combined P+D cell if it differs from adding the components.
- Reading: 11% proficient, 2% distinguished — 13% as displayed.
- Math: 13% proficient, 1% distinguished — 14% as displayed.
- The school profile carries a KDE rating of Red / Level 1 and sits in the Enhanced Support Zone.
- Band, football, and all-boys academy language are the school's reputation. They are not a reading score.
- Ask how a sixth-grader who arrives novice gets taught, and who staffs ELD for 216 multilingual learners.
Awards and recognition
First all-boys public middle school in Kentucky
The school's own founding claim
Students from 48 countries
As stated on the school's About page
Location and daily life
4530 Bellevue Avenue, 40215 — south Louisville. The day runs 8:40 a.m. to 3:20 p.m., so tour the Bellevue Avenue car line at 8:20.
In 2026 JCPS approved the purchase of 12.3 acres at 1400 Bicknell Avenue for future use. The official board item does not name the final school plan, so ask the office what families are being told now.
Recent news, in context
JCPS approved the purchase of about 12.3 acres at 1400 Bicknell Avenue in 2026. The board item does not state the final school use.
A July 2026 Courier Journal story reported a recommended combined North/South school. That is news reporting, not the board item — treat it as unsettled.
The 2027–28 application window for other schools runs November 2 through December 18, 2026.
Compare before you commit
- Olmsted Academy SouthAll-girls campus and the districtwide Gender-Specific and STEAM magnet.
- W.E.B. DuBois AcademyDistrictwide Afrocentric academy for boys. Application required.
- Lassiter MiddleSouth-end coed resides middle with Governor's Cup and a STEM lab.
- Barret Traditional Middle SchoolCoed Traditional magnet. Boundary-based, 7:30 start.
Questions to ask on a tour
- 1.Is this my resides middle school for a boy — or would we be asking about a transfer?
- 2.How is reading taught when most tested students are novice or apprentice?
- 3.There are 216 multilingual learners — who staffs ELD in this grade?
- 4.What related-arts courses can a sixth-grader actually take this year?
- 5.What is the school telling families about the Bicknell Avenue land purchase?
- 6.How long is the Bellevue Avenue car line at 8:20?
- 7.How do I reach the grade-level counselor and assistant principal?
- 8.Is South this address's resides school for a girl, or would we be applying to its magnet?
- 9.Is there a bus if we are not resides?
- 10.If we decline a seat, what is the deadline?
What to do next
- 1.Run your address in School Finder and note whether the resides campus is North or South.
- 2.If North is the resides school for a boy, register.
- 3.Outside the attendance area, call the Office of School Choice about a transfer.
- 4.Complete the Transportation Verification form if you need a bus.
- 5.Tour Bellevue Avenue during the academic day and ask about instruction.