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St. Landry Parish Education

ST. LANDRY PARISH PUBLIC SCHOOLS

St. Landry Parish is among the fastest growing parishes in the state and excels in supporting public education. In 2007-2008, there were approximately 15,370 students being served by one of the 41 schools (28 elementary/middle schools, seven high schools, two career and technical education schools, two adult education centers and one alternative school) in the St. Landry Parish School System.

In addition to the traditional schools, St. Landry Accelerated Transition School provides a positive and meaningful educational experience for students who have not had success in traditional school settings.

The St. Landry Parish School System’s goal is to provide our schools, students, teachers and parents with innovative technologies that will help prepare the students of St. Landry Parish for the future. Our mission is to educate our students through the use of technology and to identify how we can provide support to ensure their success. Our focus is on enabling academic innovation in teaching, learning and research by providing access to online resources, networked and multimedia classrooms, and academic communication tools.

The St. Landry Parish School System is accredited by the Louisiana Department of Education and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. For more information about St. Landry Parish Schools, contact the St. Landry Parish School Board at (337) 948-3657, and visit the website at www.slp.k12.la.us or www.slp.k12.la.us/school-list.htm for a list of schools.

NON-PUBLIC SCHOOLS IN ST. LANDRY PARISH

Academy of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau, St. Landry Parish, LA www.ashcoteau.org Schools of the Sacred Heart at Grand Coteau is comprised of the Academy of the Sacred Heart, a single-gender school for girls, and St. John Berchmans School, a single-gender school for boys. The school has a history that is rich in both tradition and values.

The Schools of the Sacred Heart’s history dates back to France in the year 1800 when a woman by the name of Madeline Sophie Barat founded the religious order named the Society of the Sacred Heart. St. Madeline Sophie Barat was fortunate enough to have received an education from her brother during a time when women simply were not educated. It is upon her vision for education of young women that the Society and all Sacred Heart schools have their foundation.

The Society was brought to America in 1818 by St. Philippine Duchesne. Under her direction, two Religious of the Sacred Heart members, Mother Eugenie Audé and Sr. Mary Layton, traveled to Grand Coteau to establish the Academy in the year 1821. The journey of these two women was made possible by Mrs. Charles Smith, a wealthy widow. Mrs. Smith donated funds for the trip, as well as 250 acres of property and a school building. The Academy of the Sacred Heart opened its doors to eight students in October of 1821 and has been continuously committed to excellence in the education of young women for over 185 years. The Academy offers grades PreKindergarten 3-12th and is the only single-gender education choice in the area.

St. John Berchmans School provides young men in the Acadiana region with their only choice for a Catholic, independent, single-gender education. The school opened in 2006 and began educating boys in grades Pre-Kindergarten-2nd and is committed to adding grades yearly through the 8th grade with a vision for the future that includes high school. With attention to current research and continuous faculty development in the best practices for teaching boys, St. John Berchmans School provides the opportunity for young men to become their best. Students come to realize and commit to their responsibility of helping to shape God’s Kingdom of peace and justice.

Acadiana Preparatory www.acadianaprep.org Acadiana Preparatory has two locations in Opelousas, LA; K-4; 6th enrolls 137; and 7th-12th enrolls 63. It was established as Belmont Academy in 1972 and became Acadiana Prep in 1991. This is a co-educational, independent school committed to challenging and developing the whole person - body, mind and spirit to the glory of God. This is achieved through active involvement and participation, spiritually, academically and athletically.

Academically: They have well-trained, highly motivated certified teachers who creatively deliver a challenging curriculum. At Prep, the challenge begins in Pre-Kindergarten with the Louisiana Early Childhood curriculum in a structured setting. This prepares students for, and feeds into, our kindergarten A Beka curriculum. The stage is then set for the shift the curriculum takes for elementary, middle school and high school.

Melville Private Melville Private is located in the Town of Melville, Louisiana, and was established in 1960. Their enrollment is 20 students in grades K-8th.

New Hope Christian Academy wwwnewhopeca.com Located in Opelousas, LA, New Hope Christian Academy was founded in 2002. The school is family-owned.

Opelousas Catholic School www.catholicopelousas.org Opelousas Catholic School is a co-educational school enrolling 788 students in grades K-12. The school is celebrating 150 years of Catholic education. Established in1856, O.C.S. is the oldest teaching institute in the city of Opelousas. The administration, faculty and staff are composed of lay teachers, many distinguished with masters and masters-plus certification. The school is dedicated to educating students in the mission of Christ: to know, love and serve God as disciples in this life in order to be happy with Him in the next. E.A.G.L.E. (Educating Academically Gifted Learners through Enrichment) is available in grades 1-12.

The school is also equipped with three computer labs; a Library Reference Center with 13 student stations, offering filtered and monitored Internet access; an English Lab; Model classrooms (one computer/every five students plus teacher station); and parent access to grades and homework online – EDLINE. Coming in spring 2008 are four interactive Promethean boards.

ADVANCED CURRICULUM

Qualified students in 8th grade can earn high school credit in Algebra I and English I, allowing them to take a fifth math and/or science course in 12th grade. High school honors courses are available in both core courses and in many electives. A.C.T. preparation is incorporated into many high school courses.

St. Edmund Catholic School www.stedmund.com Enrollment at St. Edmund is currently 600. The school is located in Eunice and was founded in 1911 as St. Paul’s Institute by Rev. Celestin M. Chambon. It later became named St. Edmund after Rev. Edmund Daull rebuilt the convent after a fire destroyed the old nuns’ home. St. Edmund Catholic School is a coeducational, parochial school housing grades Pre-K3 through 12. St. Edmund is a ministry of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church Parish.

St. Ignatius Catholic School www.stignatiusschool.us St. Ignatius Catholic School is located in Grand Coteau with an enrollment of 350 in K3-8th grades. It was established in 1890. The history of St. Ignatius School in Grand Coteau goes back more than a century. It had its beginning on Easter Monday, April 7, 1890, under the guidance of the Religious of the Sacred Heart. The school was then called Sacred Heart Parochial, which was the name of the parish church at that time.

In 1956, the name of the school was changed from Sacred Heart Parochial School to St. Ignatius School. This was done in honor of St. Ignatius of Loyola, the founder of the Society of Jesus whose priests are the administrators of the church parish. St. Ignatius is also the patron saint of schools.

The school was under the administration of the Religious of the Sacred Heart from 1890 to 1950, the Sisters of St. Joseph from 1950 to 1975, and again, the Religious of the Sacred Heart from 1975 until 1985. Since 1985 the administration has been under the leadership of laity.

Westminister Christian Academy, Bellevue Campus www.wcala.org Westminster Christian Academy, Bellevue Campus is a multi-denominational Christian school founded in 1978. Current enrollment of the school is approximately 1,040 students. The 30-acre main campus serves K3-12th grades and is located south of Opelousas in the small community of Bellevue. Advanced placement courses are offered in chemistry, history and English. Honors courses include Biology II, calculus, pre-calculus, English, Latin I and II, linguistics and physics. Outstanding programs are athletics, Rangers, music, art, drama, Mission Team, Mu-Alpha Theta, National Honor Society, desktop publishing, drum line, color guard and student council. Ninety-six percent of graduates were accepted at four-year colleges, and the total amount of academic scholarships and grant money offered to 2007 graduates was over one million dollars.