LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — W.E.B. DuBois Academy students will head back to school in a brand-new building after Jefferson County Public Schools officially opened the campus Thursday.
The $62 million, 185,000-square-foot facility on Poplar Level Road will serve more than 1,000 boys in grades 6 through 12. It also brings the academy's middle and high school students together in one building for the first time.
W.E.B. DuBois Academy opened in 2018 on the Gheens Academy campus before moving into the former Liberty High School building. The Newburg campus is the first built specifically for the school and the first new high school building JCPS has opened since Ballard High School in 1968.
The three-story school includes:
- Career pathway classrooms, including a teaching kitchen and a hydroponics and horticulture lab
- A middle school gymnasium that doubles as a storm shelter
- Dedicated locker rooms
- Geothermal heating and cooling
- Energy-efficient windows, roofing and exterior materials
Superintendent Dr. Brian Yearwood said bringing everyone together in one building gives students more opportunities to learn and connect.
"This is a special moment for our district," Yearwood said. "To now open a unified campus that strengthens belonging, pride and academic excellence for these young men is deeply meaningful."
One of those spaces is the school's hydroponics and horticulture lab, where students can grow food before preparing it in the teaching kitchen.
"I'm gonna be more hands-on about my learning," said ninth grader Joaquin Gallegos.
The new campus also gives the school's athletic programs room to grow. Athletic Director LaKunta Farmer said the previous building couldn't support any high school sports, but this new building will include a weight room and upgraded athletic facilities.
Another draw for the new school is the cost. JCPS Chief Operations Officer Rob Fulk said the building was designed to be more efficient than many of the district's older schools.
"I can power this building at around 70% less cost than a similar-size building in the district," Fulk said.
Students will begin classes at the new campus when the school year starts next month. For student body president Cameron Duncan, the new W.E.B. building has been a long time coming.
"Just for us to be able to get what we have now," he said. "It's really emotional."
More JCPS school projects ahead
The DuBois campus is one of several construction projects happening across JCPS.
Schools currently being rebuilt include:
- Seneca High School
- Kerrick Elementary School
- Okolona Elementary School
- Grace James Academy
- Hudson Middle School
The Diane L. Porter Early Childhood Center is expected to open next month.
In June, the Board of Education also approved new buildings for:
- Carrithers Middle School
- Westport Middle School
- Cochrane Elementary School
- Goldsmith Elementary School
- Wilt Elementary School
- Olmsted Academy South
Additionally, a new elementary school is in the works for south Louisville, but the site for that school has not been announced.
Those projects are expected to cost more than $260 million and will be paid for through the district's capital improvement fund. The board also approved major renovations at 61 schools over the next two years.
Copyright 2026 WDRB Media. All Rights Reserved.
