The first day of school is right around the corner, and The Courier Journal has answers to the questions parents and guardians may have.
From start times to school supplies, here's what you need to know before the first day of school:
When is the first day of school for JCPS?
The first day of school for Jefferson County Public School students is Thursday, Aug. 8.
What JCPS schools start at 7:30 a.m.?
Elementary
- Auburndale
- Blake
- Bloom
- Camp Taylor
- Cane Run
- Chancey
- Cochrane
- Crums Lane
- Dixie
- Gutermuth
- Hite
- Layne
- Lowe
- Mill Creek
- Norton
- Sanders
- St. Matthews
- Stonestreet
- Trunnell
- Tully
- Watterson
- Wheeler
- Wilder
- Wilkerson
- Wilt
- Zachary Taylor
Middle
- Barrett
- Conway
- DuBois
- Echo Trail
- Grace James
- JCTMS
- Johnson
- Knight
- Lassiter
- Minor Daniels
- Moore
- Ramsey
- Stuart
High
- Atherton
- Breckenridge Metro
- Butler
- Central
- DuBois
- Grace James
- Male
- Manual
- Minor Daniels
- Moore
- Western
Specialty
- Binet
- Liberty
- Newcomer Academy
- Phoenix
- TAPP
What JCPS schools start at 8:40 a.m.?
Elementary
- Audubon
- Brandeis
- Carter
- Coleridge-Taylor
- Foster
- Greathouse/Shryock
- Hawthorne
- Lincoln
- Schaffner
- Stopher
- Young
Middle
- Carrithers
- Crosby
- Farnsley
- Highland
- Hudson
- Kammerer
- Meyzeek
- Newburg
- Noe
- Olmsted North
- Olmsted South
- Shawnee
- TJMS
- Western
- Westport
High
- Ballard
- Doss
- Eastern
- Fairdale
- Fern Creek
- Iroquois
- Jeffersontown
- PRP
- Seneca
- Shawnee
- Southern
- Valley
- Waggener
Specialty
- Mary Ryan
- Waller-Williams Environmental
What JCPS schools start at 9:40 a.m.?
Elementary
- Alex R. Kennedy
- Atkinson
- Bates
- Blue Lick
- Bowen
- Breckenridge-Franklin
- Byck
- Chenoweth
- Cochran
- Coral Ridge
- Dunn
- Eisenhower
- Engelhard
- Fairdale
- Farmer
- Fern Creek
- Field
- Frayser
- Greenwood
- Goldsmith
- Hartstern
- Hazelwood
- Indian Trail
- Jacob
- Jeffersontown
- Johnsontown Road
- Kennedy
- Kenwood
- Kerrick
- King
- Klondike
- Laukhuf
- Luhr
- Maupin
- McFerran
- Medora
- Middletown
- Minors Lane
- Norton Commons
- Okolona
- Perry
- Portland
- Price
- Rangeland
- Rutherford
- Shacklette
- Shelby
- Slaughter
- Smyrna
- Wellington
Specialty
- Churchill Park
Will JCPS start times change again?
Possibly. When board members approved start times for this year, many parents and educators were still unsatisfied with the new plan — particularly due to the high number of elementary schools starting at 9:40 a.m.
As a compromise, the board requested district leaders present another plan by December that should address concerns while still achieving efficiency in the transportation plan.
Rob Fulk, JCPS' chief operations officers, told The Courier Journal his team will be bringing forward another plan well before December.
How do I find my child's bus stop?
Families can find their students' bus stops through the Bus Teller platform, available atJCPSFirstDay.com.
Anyone with questions or concerns about transportation can call the district's busing hotline, which opened two weeks sooner than usual.
The hotline is at 502-485-RIDE and is open from 9:30 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. It will stay open for several days after the first day of school.
Others are reading:Last year was 'as bad as it could be' for JCPS bus riders. Will this year be better?
What happens if I missed the deadline to request a bus stop?
For the first time, the district has implemented a "freeze period" for the three weeks leading up to school, during which new bus stop requests might not be honored. The move is intended to let drivers navigate their routes on the first day without any surprise additions.
The cutoff day for new requests was July 22. JCPS' routing team will resume adding stops on Friday, Aug. 9.
Will magnet parents be paid to take their kids to school?
If your studentlost busing this yearbecause they are in a magnet or a non-resident Academies of Louisville program, you likely qualify for a daily stipend to transport them to and from school.
Families who qualify for SNAP assistance can earn $10 a day, while most other families will receive $5 a day. If more than one of your children attend the same qualifying school, you will only get one daily payment. But if you have children in different qualifying schools, you will receive multiple payments.
Sign up sheets for the stipend will be available at open houses, and an online form will be posted Aug. 26. Payments won't start until the second week of September, with all August payments set to be completed the week of Sept. 23.
The stipend is considered taxable income, so it may impact benefits.
When will busing be restored for some magnet students?
A partnership between TARC and JCPS is expected torestore some magnet transportationbut not until at least September, according to JCPS transportation leaders.
It's still unclear when magnet families will know if their students will regain service. The Jefferson County Board of Education could hold a special meeting on magnet busing before school starts, but one has not yet been scheduled.
Superintendent Marty Pollio said the district will prioritize restoring busing for students who qualify for free-or-reduced price lunch attending Male, Manual and Butler high schools, as well as all students at Johnson Traditional Middle, Coleridge-Taylor Montessori and Young Elementary.
Important dates in JCPS calendar
Monday, Sept. 2:Labor Day
Sept. 30-Oct. 1:Family-teacher conferences and professional development
Oct. 2-4:Fall break
Nov. 4:Professional development
Nov. 5:Election Day
Nov. 27-29:Thanksgiving break
Dec. 23-Jan. 3:Winter break
Jan. 20:Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Feb. 17-18:Family-teacher conferences and professional development
March 28:Professional development
March 31-April 4:Spring break
May 2:Oaks Day
What school supplies does my child need?
JCPS has a fundamental supply list. Teachers may substitute or subtract items on the lists, but items cannot be added.
K-2 list
- 1 backpack—no wheels
- 3 glue sticks
- 24 pencils
- 1 box 24 crayons
- 1 box 8 washable markers
- 5 notebooks (type [e.g., composition, spiral, steno] and color designated by school)
- 1 pencil box or pencil pouch (designated by school)
- 5 two‐pocket folders (color designated by school)
- 1 pair of scissors
3–5 list
- 1 backpack—no wheels
- 3 glue sticks
- 24 pencils
- 1 box 24 crayons
- 1 box 8 washable markers
- 7 notebooks (type [e.g., composition, spiral, steno] and color designated by school)
- 1 pencil box or pencil pouch (designated by school)
- 5 two‐pocket folders (color designated by school)
- 1 pair of scissors
- 2 ink pens (color designated by school)
- 1 pack loose-leaf paper, wide‐ruled
6–8 list
- 1 pack loose‐leaf paper
- 1 box colored pencils or markers (designated by school)
- 7 notebooks (type [e.g., composition, spiral, steno] and color designated by school)
- 7 two‐pocket folders (color designated by school)
- 24 pens/pencils (color designated by school)
Back to school:Here's where JCPS students can get free school supplies ahead of 2024-25 year
