W.E.B. DuBois Academy

What this school is

W.E.B. DuBois Academy opened in 2018 as a middle school for boys, first at Gheens Academy, then in the former Liberty High building on East Indian Trail. In July 2026, JCPS opened a new $62 million, 185,000-square-foot campus at 4929 Poplar Level Road in Newburg — the first new high-school building the district has opened since Ballard in 1968. Middle and high school share the building, in separate wings.

This is a magnet, not a neighborhood assignment; the Choices Guides list it among district magnet schools. JCPS copy calls it an all-male academy with an Afrocentric curriculum. Any boy in the district may apply. The school uses Lions branding and the line "One Pride, One Brotherhood." Official mission language: engage, eliminate barriers, and empower each young man through P.R.I.D.E. values integrated with Afrocentric principles.

How families get in

DuBois is not anyone's automatic resides school. A boy who lives across the street still applies. JCPS lists it as a magnet in both the middle-school and high-school Choices Guides. The 2026–27 window was November 3–December 19, 2025, with notices in April 2026; that window is closed. Confirm 2027–28 dates on the JCPS calendar.

• On-time applications are processed together after the deadline; it is not first-come, first-served.
• A JCPS "Road to High School" page has described a tiered process that can include staff recommendations and a performance task; the school emails families about extra materials.
• Boys only. This campus does not enroll girls; the district's parallel all-girls academy is Dr. Grace James Academy of Excellence.
• Magnet transportation rules have changed. A seat is not automatically a bus. Confirm current magnet busing before you treat the commute as settled.
• Explore Pathways are for students who already attend; they are not a second lottery.
• If you miss the window, you can still file late, but only leftover seats are in play.

Ask the current school office what the 2027–28 file actually requires.

Who it tends to fit

Students

DuBois is one campus with two published grade bands. Counts below mix JCPS allocation papers, Choices Guides, and third-party profiles. The new building is designed for more than 1,000 students; recent enrollment has been about half that. Public School Review's 2026 profile lists 477 students in grades 6–12.

Gender: 477 boys (100%) Single-gender magnet; Public School Review 2026 profile.

• Sept. 2025 JCPS allocation sheet: Middle 259 · High 203 · campus 462
• 2026–27 Choices Guides: Middle 285 (6–8) · High 200 (9–12)
• New building (JCPS / WDRB, July 2026): designed for more than 1,000 young men
• Minority enrollment (Public School Review 2026 profile): 97%

Academics

The school's own JCPS homepage posts separate middle and high bands. Look at the Kentucky School Report Card first, since ranking websites disagree with each other.

• MS: 23% proficient / 12% distinguished reading; 14% proficient / 4% distinguished math.
• HS: 26% proficient / 5% distinguished reading; math not posted on the banner.
• Combined middle proficient-plus-distinguished is about 35% reading and 18% math on that banner.
• SchoolDigger placed the high school near the bottom of Kentucky high schools on 2024–25 scores, with a note that the rank has ticked up from 2021. Public School Review puts overall scores in the bottom half of the state.
• Principal Hunter-Kirby has said DuBois outperformed Black boys districtwide on some assessments. Ask for the current KDE report card, not a ranking site.
• The first graduating class (2025) was reported with more than $800,000 in scholarships and about 70% headed to college.

Awards and recognition

• ESEA Distinguished School

  Listed among school culture and awards

• Magnet Schools of America certification

  Nationally certified magnet

• PBIS Tier 1 Bronze

  Listed on school materials

• 2024–25 High School Principal of the Year

  Dr. Monica Hunter-Kirby

Location and daily life

Poplar Level Road in Newburg is a different commute from the old East Indian Trail site. The new building has a shared cafeteria, athletics, and labs, with separate middle and high wings; the middle-school gym doubles as a storm shelter, and the building uses geothermal HVAC. Board members framed the project as a racial-equity commitment. The building is new — the test-score record above is from the old sites.

School-day texture includes aerospace/aviation, engineering, culinary arts, and business and marketing pathways at the high-school level, a teaching kitchen and hydroponics lab, and dual credit with Jefferson Community and Technical College.

Compare before you commit

• Grace M. James Academy of ExcellenceDistrict all-girls academy. The usual pair if you want a gender-specific magnet.
• Academy @ ShawneeWest End 6–12 with aviation; coed; different assignment rules.
• Noe MiddleDistrictwide magnet with a different culture and grade span.
• Highland MiddleResides-area comparison for families weighing magnet vs. neighborhood school.
• Male HighTraditional magnet high school; structured culture; application + address rules.
• Resides 6–8 or 9–12No application. Start there unless you are sure you want this magnet.

Questions to ask on a tour

1. 1.What extra materials (recommendation, task, interview) does this year's file still require after the magnet application?
2. 2.How are sixth-graders grouped, and can a student move into a stronger math section mid-year?
3. 3.Which high-school pathway seats are actually open — aviation, culinary, engineering, business?
4. 4.How is the uniform, including ties and clear backpacks, enforced in the new building?
5. 5.How are volunteers and coaches screened after the May 2026 athletic-affiliate case?
6. 6.Does a magnet seat include a bus from my ZIP, or is that on us?
7. 7.Where did last year's seniors actually go — college, trade, work — not only the scholarship total?

What to do next

1. 1.Confirm this is the school you mean. The current address is 4929 Poplar Level Road, not East Indian Trail.
2. 2.If you want DuBois, watch the next magnet window. The 2026–27 window is closed.
3. 3.Tour the new building if you can. Ask about pathways and screening, not only the gym.
4. 4.Read the current Choices Guide page, not an old brochure with the Indian Trail address.
5. 5.Keep a resides-school backup. A magnet denial still leaves you assigned somewhere.
6. 6.If you are offered a seat, read the deadline on the letter. Missed dates can cost it.