River Parish faculty districts are increasing pupil alternatives with new packages, stronger career-connected studying and, in St. Charles Parish for the primary time, common Pre-Okay-4 for younger learners.

The 2026-27 faculty yr will see the implementation, guaranteeing each four-year-old within the parish entry to a seat at their neighborhood faculty.

Moreover, each of St. Charles Parish College’s early studying facilities, Carver Early Studying Middle in Hahnville and East Financial institution Head Begin Middle in Destrehan will broaden Pre-Okay 3 alternatives for three-year-old learners.

The 2025–26 faculty yr was a continued tutorial success for 15 faculties and 5 facilities in St. Charles Parish, which has seen 4 consecutive years of enchancment. The district total received an “A” efficiency rating by the state.

The district ranks fourth statewide for Okay–3 literacy outcomes and third within the state in positive aspects amongst economically deprived college students and college students with disabilities.

The district’s structured literacy work has even attracted worldwide consideration, together with a go to from Louisiana Division of Training leaders and an schooling delegation from Northern Eire, together with that nation’s Minister of Training, who noticed practices at Norco Elementary College throughout the latest faculty yr.

Particular person recognition in the latest faculty yr contains St. Louis Academy Head Begin trainer Jillian Graves being named a finalist for Louisiana’s Early Childhood Trainer and Chief of the 12 months by the Louisiana Division of Training.

The district hosted its inaugural Superintendent’s ACT Breakfast Membership, recognizing 32 college students who scored 27 or greater on the ACT.

Employees recruitment and retention efforts additionally stay a precedence, supported by aggressive compensation and advantages packages, together with a $750 signing stipend for brand new St. Charles Parish College workers becoming a member of for the 2026–2027 faculty yr.

Profession and technical schooling continues to broaden by the Satellite tv for pc Middle, a regional hub for workforce coaching. The middle is including a brand new Logistics course in 2026–2027 and a brand new miniature processing unit supported by business companions and donated tools. It would additionally enable college students to run simulated start-ups utilizing DeltaV management programs aligned with native business jobs.

These packages be a part of Aviation and the PAES Lab program, each launched in 2025–2026.

The PAES Lab gives simulated office experiences for college students with disabilities, constructing each technical and employability expertise.

The district additionally maintains a coordinated strategy to attendance by a parish-wide coalition involving judges, legislation enforcement, the district lawyer’s workplace, nonprofits and pupil help providers. This collaborative system has helped St. Charles Parish preserve one of many lowest power absenteeism charges amongst conventional faculty programs in Louisiana.

In St. James Parish, the 2026-27 faculty yr will introduce a brand new overseas language elective for college students: American Signal Language, a completely immersive expertise on the Profession and Faculty Middle campus. The signal language program was developed immediately from pupil enter by the Superintendent’s Pupil Advisory Council and displays the district’s rising variety of profession and faculty pathways already out there to highschool college students.

One of the established packages is the St. James Parish Pupil Intern Program, which facilitates paid internships domestically. Throughout the 2025–2026 faculty yr, 91 seniors participated in paid internships.

“As our group partnerships develop, we proceed so as to add internship alternatives,” stated Sarah Forsythe, public data supervisor for St. James Parish Colleges. “Our program has change into fairly selective and extra aggressive amongst seniors.”

The Profession and Faculty Middle just lately welcomed new management underneath Meeka Dennis who will oversee extra pupil alternatives.

Different specialised tutorial packages in St. James Parish are the Visible and Performing Arts Magnet Program, Cypress Grove Montessori Academy and St. Louis Studying and Math Academy.

Expansions and program additions

St. Charles Parish launched its first-ever women’ flag soccer program in partnership with the New Orleans Saints and The Louisiana Excessive College Athletic Affiliation previously faculty yr with Destrehan Excessive College advancing to the state semifinals.

For the 2026-2027 faculty yr, the district will transfer ahead with constructions on the addition of auxiliary gyms at elementary and center faculty campuses and safety system upgrades.

Over in St. James Parish, the St. James Excessive College broadcast media studio is nearing completion and can quickly be utilized by college students for digital media creation.

Development will quickly start on the Lutcher Excessive College Bulldog Graphics storefront, the place college students taking print design media arts courses will work to create and promote print merchandise.

Different building tasks embrace the tennis courts at St. James Excessive College, the health club at Sixth Ward Elementary College and window replacements at St. Louis Academy.