Here are some facts about Charter Schools that you may not know.

• Parents select the school their child attends, instead of being assigned to a school based on where they live.

• Charter schools are free to make timely decisions about developing curricula, structuring the school day and hiring teachers who meet the needs of their students.

• Charter schools are governed by a nonprofit board of directors and are held to high academic, financial & organizational standards.

• There are over 150 charter schools in Louisiana serving more than 84,000 students.

• 11 new Louisiana Charter schools opened in 2017, with 77 new schools opening in the last five years.

• The top two performing academic public schools in the state are charter schools.

With so many exciting things going on in the charter education world, it’s easy to see why so many St. John residents and businesses are excited for this opportunity for the children of St. John.

Louisiana Premier Charter hopes to give residents another quality choice for their children so they can remain here in St. John Parish. Quality free public education is the backbone of any community and one of the deciding factors of where young families will live in the future.

We hope to be able to make that decision of where to build and start a family easier for young families and that they choose LAPC for their educational needs.

LAPC’s Vision: We prepare students to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering, Math and the Arts to succeed in college and career as leaders and innovative thinkers in a global 21st century.

LAPC’s Mission: LAPC will provide a rigorous, engaging STEM education that promotes real-world and relationship-based experiences to prepare students for postsecondary success. This high-quality educational option will serve students promoting high achievement in all subject areas with an engaging curriculum that fosters inquiry and problem-solving through the use of data driven, best practices strategies.

The unique experiences students receive at LAPC will serve to build life-long learning directly correlated with our vision and mission and will give students opportunities they may not have been exposed to before.

The skills they learn are cultivated and refined to shape all-around successful students. To learn more about LAPC visit lapremiercharter.org and visit Louisianacharterschool.org for more information about how charter schools are changing the landscape of education.

Alison Andrews is the school leader for Louisiana Premier Charter. She can be reached at aliandrews24@gmail.com.