Plans to open a new charter school for grades 9-12 in Lake Charles have been approved, according to a news release issued
by the Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Inc. The school, which will house 1,200 students, was approved by the State
Board of Elementary and Secondary Education.
Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Board of Trustees plan to open for ninth-grade students in fall 2014 with 10th, 11th
and 12th grades being added afterward. A location for the school has not yet been selected.
“We are so grateful that students who
have successfully completed their K-8 education at our schools will have
the opportunity
for a natural progression to the same high quality level of
education to which they have become accustomed,” said Judge Gene
Thibodeaux, president of the Lake Charles Charter Foundation Inc.
in a statement issued Friday. “We look forward to continuing
the great work we have accomplished that encourages high
performance throughout the entire school experience.”
The board of trustees has chosen a site
on the corner of Ham Reid Road and Weaver Road for a new Southwest
Louisiana Charter
Academy facility. Construction of the facility is planned for the
first quarter for 2013 with completion set for the fall.
A temporary facility currently hosts classes for students. Grades
K-6 are currently enrolled in the Southwest Louisiana Charter
Academy and seventh and eighth grades will be added to enrollment
in the following years.
“We are so pleased to work with our
board to bring another high quality school to Lake Charles,” said
Richard Page, vice president
of development for Charter Schools USA in a news release issued
Friday. “Our early successes have proven that every child
can learn and when given the right educational environment,
students will thrive.”