Nelson County
School District
288 Wildcat Lane
Bardstown, KY 40004
Voice (502) 349-7000 — Fax (502) 349-7004
288 Wildcat Lane
Bardstown, KY 40004
Voice (502) 349-7000 — Fax (502) 349-7004
The rapidly growing school system is in the process of building a new high school and has recently renovated and expanded one elementary school. The scheduled completion date for the first and second phases of the new Thomas Nelson High School is the summer of 2012. The first two phases will include, classrooms, cafeteria and athletic facilities. The third phase will include an auditorium. The 2012 school year will see the school opening with Grades 9 and 10. The following year Grade 11 will be added with Grade 12 being added in the fall of 2014.
The new high school is under construction on a 100-plus acre campus on the west side of KY 245 near Flaget Memorial Hospital.
Other recent additions to the school system include a new central office facility and Horizons Academy, an alternative school. The academy, housed in a state-of-the-art facility adjacent to the new central office, is designed to meet the needs of at-risk students having trouble succeeding in the regular school environment.
The school system offers services to 3-year-old students with disabilities and 4-year-old students who qualify for the federal free-lunch program or who have disabilities. All-day kindergarten is available to everyone, as are before-and after-school childcare programs.
Each of the district's elementary schools offers a variation of Kentucky's ungraded primary program and the district offers a range of programs through Grade 8. Nelson County High School offers a comprehensive program and is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
The district employs more than 300 support personnel and about 350 certified teachers and staff, a majority of whom have a master's degree or higher.
The Nelson County School District has made a major commitment to technology by placing computers in every elementary classroom and computer labs in every school. The district uses Smart Board technology extensively and each school is connected through a fiber-optic network to the Internet.
A campus portal is an online tool available for parents and students to access instant, timely and secure student information, including class schedules, assignments, attendance, discipline, report cards and transcripts. The portal is a free service for parents and students to further promote educational excellence by enhancing the district's extensive program of communication with parents and students.
The school district's well-defined school-to-work program offers job exploration opportunities in the elementary and middle schools and on-the-job training in the high school. Nelson County High School and the Nelson County Area Technology Center coordinate their programs and work closely to provide students with entry-level job skills or a strong background for college.
Elementary and middle schools offer services to gifted students, who are identified using a multiple-intelligences philosophy.
The high school offers an array of Advanced Placement courses. Programs for at-risk students include Reading Recovery, geared to 6-year-olds; extended school services; grade four and above tutoring; K-12 counseling; exceptional child education; Family Resource and Youth Services Centers; drug and alcohol abuse prevention programs, and the Horizons Academy alternative school. The district also sponsors an alternative classroom program, providing in-school suspension; an in-school GED program; and a night high school program open to anyone who has left school without a diploma.
Since 1998, the Nelson County School District has operated on an alternative calendar. The school year is broken into four quarters separated by intersessions and vacations. The intersession is devoted to remediation and optional enrichment classes. The remaining time is designated as a vacation. The district school board voted to move to this calendar following a study of national and state data indicating benefits to student learning.
Realizing the importance of a well-rounded individual, all district schools offer a range of co-curricular and athletic programs. A variety of clubs and academic competitions are available. Sports offerings include soccer, cross-country and track, football, basketball, softball, baseball, volleyball, golf, tennis, wrestling and swimming.