LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) -- Transitioning from middle school to high school can be stressful for Jefferson County Public Schools (JCPS) students, but Kentucky's largest school district has found a way to make the process easier for students and their parents and guardians.
The Showcase of Schools features representatives from JCPS and offers information about all JCPS elementary, middle and high schools.
Families who gathered at the event held at the Kentucky International Convention Center were able to make a well-informed decision before submitting a student's application for the next school year.
"This is our first really big in-person event in the light of COVID," said Renee Murphy, spokeswoman for Jefferson County Public Schools. "We have more than 150 schools in JCPS, so families can come here today and talk to school leaders and meet with the staff of multiple schools, all at one time."
Many of these students are making the transition from middle school to high school, including 8th grader, Shelby Humphreys.
"I got to see more of what they had to offer and like what they have for academics," she said with her mom, Missy, by her side.
"It's a really good idea for any of the kids who will be entering high school to go in there and see what all the schools have to offer because some of them have not been exposed to that to know what opportunities are there," said Missy.
Shelby will move from private school to public school. The two are in search of more information.
"With traditional, it's preparing them for a possible career path and preparing them for college," said Missy. "We really felt that this was definitely the way that we wanted to go."
The Humphreys' and many other families got the help they needed with the application process and much more.
"We encourage families, if they weren't able to make it to the Showcase of Schools today, to schedule an appointment to tour one of our schools in-person," said Murphy.
Some schools only met with guests online, and last year, the event was entirely virtual.
"I'm glad to see that the community has come out," said Murphy. "We typically have anywhere between 10 to 15,000 people who come through throughout the course of the day and it appears to be very similar to what it has been in years past."
The application period for the 2022-23 school year begins on Nov. 1, 2021 and ends on Dec. 15, 2021.
Resources for Exploring School Choice Options:
- Use School Finder to identify your resides school.
- Determine if you need to register and/or apply for school, and find out how.
- Review the interactive elementary, middle, and high school Choices guides.
If you need assistance with completing the registration or application process, you may contact us at askstudentassignment@jefferson.kyschools.us or (502) 485-6250.
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