The Leah Chase School opened its doors to students on Aug. 6 following District Superintendent Avis Williams’ decision to make it a non-charter school.  

Lafayette Academy,  previously located in the Leah Chase building, closed at the end of the 2023-2024 school year. Because no other charter operator volunteered to take over the campus, the superintendent established the Leah Chase School. The school is New Orleans’ first permanent direct-run, or non-charter, public school in 18 years, a significant departure from the city’s all-charter system that began after Hurricane Katrina.  

“We were not going to not have a school in that location, in that building, in that part of the city,” Orleans Parish School Board member Carlos Zervigón said. “We kind of fell backward into a situation where we’re going to have to run that school.”  

Williams agreed.  

“[The] Carrollton community is such a thriving community, and it didn’t make sense for there not to be a school in that building,” Williams said.  

Hurricane Katrina reshaped New Orleans’ education system in 2005. Most public schools closed when families had to evacuate.  

“As a result [of Hurricane Katrina,] the district actually went bankrupt,” Amanda Hill, a professor of education at Tulane University, said.  

In response to the academic crisis that followed the hurricane, the Recovery School District began taking control of struggling parish-operated schools and turning them into charters, paving the way for the independent charter model.  

“If you look at school performance scores, if you look at high school graduation rates, or if you look at college enrollment rates among New Orleans public school students, you can see improvement over time,” Hill said.  

Despite the charter school model’s success, the school board decided to make The Leah Chase School district-run. 

“It’s time for the parish to operate schools again,” Zervigón said. “We shouldn’t be all charter for all charters’ sake. If we’re a district of choice, if we’re a district of innovation and a district demanding improvement, one of the innovations should be a district-run school.”  

Williams outlines her vision of success with three goals: “[I want to] establish a framework for what it looks like for the district to direct run schools, provide a level of excellence and another choice for families [and to have a place] where students can really feel the culture of New Orleans.”  

The school is named after chef and civil rights leader Leah Chase, known as the Queen of Creole Cuisine. Williams aims to honor Chase’s legacy by staying connected with her family and emphasizing the arts, cuisine and storytelling.  

“It was natural to name the school after her,” Williams said.   

After deciding to open the school in February, it was projected to be operational at the start of the 2024-2025 school year.  

“I would give enormous credit to the superintendent and her team that they pulled this off. They opened a school on the fly in, let’s say, three to four months,” Zervigón said.  

Both Zervigón and Williams acknowledged finding talented staff as a potential challenge in planning the school.  

“We want to ensure that the culture is such that it attracts and retains teachers,” Williams said.  

The school entered the year fully staffed with the exception of a few last-minute hires due to an increase in student numbers.  

After limited months of preparation, The Leah Chase School opened with enthusiasm and community support and is focused on its students’ success. The school fosters both academics and the arts, offering after-school ballet, art, music and homework-help programs to ensure its students are supported and encouraged. 

Although there are no data yet to measure students’ academic reactions, Williams is experiencing positive community feedback. Once she receives the data, Williams says their next step is to celebrate student and teacher success and set goals for improvement.  

The Leah Chase School plans on both academic and physical growth. The school currently educates kindergarten through fifth grade. Next year, a pre-K class will be added, with plans to eventually expand up to eighth grade.  

“We need to do it well; [having] innovative curriculum, responding to community needs, responding to what people are looking for in an academic environment; for themselves, and their children,” Zervigón said. “That’s what I would like to see us do as we find ourselves having to run a few more schools.” 

Both Hill and Williams hope to see public schools become more common in New Orleans.  

“This is the first in this new chapter, but there’s potential for more direct-run traditional public schools,” Hill said. “I think that’s important for families to have choice and options to choose from when considering public education for their children.”