Central High Magnet Career Academy

Central High School Magnet Career Academy (MCA) hosts some of the most talented students in Louisville. Students are selected for admission through a competitive process that includes achievement test scores, grade point average (GPA), personal essays, and teacher recommendations. Central has the second-highest number of Governor’s Scholars in the district, is one of two Kentucky high schools to offer Montessori education, and offers 12 career pathways through a robust career-themed magnet program.

School Highlights

• Rigorous pre-college curriculum
• Twelve career programs in the following areas of concentration: business; law; Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM); health services; and teaching and learning
• AP Capstone (Seminar/Research)
  • Two-year course
  • Prepares students for academic demands of college
  • Variety of Advanced Placement (AP) courses
• Dual-credit courses through the University of Louisville (UofL), Jefferson Community and Technical College (JCTC), and Morehead State University (MSU); offers early college opportunities through the school’s medical programs
• Navy Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (NJROTC)
• Montessori learning

Career Pathways

• Management and Entrepreneurship
• Marketing
  • Opportunities to learn about buyer behavior and dynamics, principles of marketing research, demand analysis, cost-volume and profit relationships, and more
• Cyber Engineering
  • Blend of programming, cybersecurity, and hardware engineering
  • Opportunities to research, design, develop, and test computer systems and components
  • Exploration of robotics, electricity, and security concerns
• Dental Assisting
  • Lessons on patient care, dental radiographs (X-ray photographs), dental procedure equipment, and office administrative functions under the supervision of dentists and dental hygienists
• Navy JROTC
  • Opportunities to learn about the theory and practice of naval science and life in the U.S. Navy
• Pre-Med
  • Prepares students to apply basic health science principles and technical skills in the areas of medicine and public health
• Patient Care Technician/Pre-Nursing
  • Prepares students to apply basic health science principles and technical skills in the areas of Patient Care Technician (PCT) and nursing
• Veterinary Assistant
  • Courses on animal nursing care, animal health and nutrition, animal handling, clinical pathology, radiology, surgical assisting, clinical laboratory procedures, etc.
• Teaching and Learning
  • Opportunities to participate in classroom activities
  • Emphasis on construction of knowledge, development of dispositions for teaching, and reflections on teaching and learning
  • Opportunities to learn how to design engaging, standards-based lessons and assessments