A ‘Bad’ School, episode 1

He had big dreams of an elite Louisville high school. But he wound up at a ‘bad’ one.

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You've heard the words before: "That's a bad school."

In the age of school choice, reputation is everything. And a school's reputation is often built upon test scores, school rankings and word of mouth in a community.

And when there's a bad school, there's always a good school to compare it to.

In Louisville, one public school consistently at the bottom of rankings and test scores is Iroquois High. One consistently at the top is Manual High, a magnet school located just a 10-minute drive away.

A new, six-episode podcast by The Courier Journal explores how these vastly different schools represent an integration plan gone awry. Through the stories of kids, teachers, administrators, community members and alumni, the series shows how a school's "good" or "bad" reputation develops, and who’s really to blame.

Dupont Manual High School. Sept. 1, 2021
In 2020, students at Iroquois were 3.5 times as likely as those at duPont Manual to come from low-income households. May 25, 2021
Dupont Manual and Iroquois are two vastly different high schools. Dupont Manual and Iroquois are two vastly different high schools. Dupont Manual and Iroquois are two vastly different high schools. Michael Clevenger and Alton Strupp/Courier Journal

Iroquois and Manual are just two of more than 20 high schools dotted all over Jefferson County, from the city's majority Black West End to mostly-white suburbs. The city-county setup results from a 1975 federal court order forcing the merger of Jefferson County's predominantly white suburban district with its urban neighbor to ensure all students access to a quality education.

The first episode begins with graduation day at Iroquois and Manual. You'll meet junior Zyrann Hibbitt, whose journey helps explain the reality of what makes a school good or bad.

Turns out, it's much more complicated than test scores and rankings.

Read the project: ‘Magnetic Pull’

Read our sister project: ‘The Last Stop’

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