The Orleans Parish Faculty Board voted to maintain The Leah Chase Faculty, its solely direct-run faculty, open for a further two years regardless of low enrollment and a major price range deficit for the newly-established faculty. The choice to maintain it open was tied to sustained funding and tutorial efficiency by the 2028 faculty yr.

On the faculty board’s January 2026 assembly, board vice-president Olin Parker proposed a further situation to require enrollment numbers to succeed in 383 college students by the tip of the extension interval, however was not voted on by the remainder of the board.

Board member Katherine Baudouin stated she would have preferred the attendance quantity to be included, however was prepared to forgo that modification in the interim.

“We can not overlook about long-term sustainability, and that does require enough enrollment,” Baudouin stated. “To remain open yr after yr and develop and thrive, we’d like college students within the constructing. I don’t need us to lose that reality.”

The Leah Chase Faculty was a serious milestone because the district’s first direct-run faculty since Hurricane Katrina: The Okay–7 Leah Chase Faculty, named for famed Black chef and matriarch of a well-known New Orleans household, formally opened within the 2024–25 faculty yr.

Two faculty years later, going through low enrollment, a bottom-ten efficiency rating and a major faculty price range deficit, the board was tasked on whether or not to shut the varsity utterly.

Whereas the board voted in January 2026 to maintain the varsity open for 2 extra years, the choice included a number of stipulations. The varsity was required to lift a minimal of $865,000 in personal and philanthropic funding for its reserves – a goal it has already met by way of substantial donations, together with assist from the Chase household. On the assembly, the board additionally voted to loosen restrictions on all donations and in-kind donations to the Leah Chase Faculty.

District leaders described the necessities as crucial benchmarks to make sure monetary sustainability and long-term viability.

“We had a fiduciary accountability to everybody,” stated Parker, the board finance chair.

Regardless of no requirement, enrollment in Leah Chase Faculty stays a touchpoint for Nola Public Colleges. There have been 339 college students enrolled within the 2025-26 faculty yr.

“We’re persevering with district optimization efforts to create a stronger, thriving and extra sustainable system amid declining delivery charges and enrollment challenges,” stated Taslin Alfonzo, govt director of public relations for NOLA Public Colleges, in an interview in July. “We stay centered on increasing profession pathways, strengthening psychological well being helps and constructing on this yr’s momentum to make sure each youngster can develop, obtain, and thrive.”

Outdoors of The Leah Chase Faculty, NOLA Public Colleges performs a central position in New Orleans’ schooling system, primarily serving because the authorizer and overseer of 66 constitution faculties throughout Orleans Parish.

The district points, renews, and, when crucial, revokes constitution agreements based mostly on efficiency, accountability metrics and state requirements for the principally independently-run constitution faculties.

As of the 2025–26 faculty yr, NOLA Public Colleges oversees 42 elementary faculties, 21 excessive faculties and two Okay–12 faculties and is led by Superintendent Dr. Fateama S. Fulmore.

NOLA Public Colleges additionally oversees the OneApp system, the centralized enrollment course of that enables households to rank most well-liked constitution faculties. The district coordinates the method and assigns seats based mostly on capability and choice, particular person constitution networks and faculties conduct their very own recruitment campaigns, usually with assist from district-wide outreach initiatives.

“We are going to proceed our robust recruitment efforts to encourage households to enroll in our faculties by way of the NOLA-PS Frequent Utility Course of,” Alfonzo stated.

Closures and consolidations

The 2025–26 faculty yr introduced a number of important structural modifications inside the metropolis’s constitution system.

Einstein Constitution Colleges, based in 2005 in New Orleans East following Hurricane Katrina, voluntarily relinquished its constitution and closed Sarah T. Reed Excessive Faculty on the finish of the varsity yr.

The community additionally consolidated Village de l’Est Elementary with Einstein Center Faculty into the Sherwood Forest campus as a part of a broader reorganization effort.

Moreover, the merger of Frederick Douglass Excessive Faculty and John F. Kennedy Excessive Faculty beneath KIPP New Orleans was authorized. KIPP New Orleans runs greater than a dozen constitution faculties throughout town.

Douglass will shut on the finish of the 2025–26 faculty yr, with college students transitioning to the JFK campus starting in 2026–27.

“Selections about the way forward for any faculty, constitution or direct-run, are made by way of the lens of what’s greatest for your entire system and all the scholars we serve,” Alfonzo stated.

Wanting forward, Louisiana‘s new accountability framework, ‘Develop. Obtain. Thrive.’” will reshape efficiency metrics statewide. Alfonzo stated the transition to a brand new 100-point scale could shift letter grades whilst underlying tutorial progress continues.