NEW ORLEANS — Two New Orleans Schools will soon close.
NOLA Public Schools announced Tuesday Live Oak School in the Irish Channel and Oscar Dunn in New Orleans East will shut their doors at the end of the school year.
In a statement, district officials said the decision was made because there are too many open seats and not enough students.
“It is heartbreaking. We were literally in tears. It was that sad,” said Amanique Scott, a parent who has two children who attend Oscar Dunn. “This is probably the best school over here, you know? My daughter has learned a lot, my son has learned a lot. It's really sad. I am really sad for them.”
Live Oak is run by First Line and Oscar Dunn is part of the IDEA network
of public schools. NOLA Public Schools blames citywide population declines and lower birth rates in recent years saying the district will experience a surplus of more than 3,000 seats during the 2022-2023 school year and that these closures will help “networks continue to provide essential enrichment programming and other educational benefits to all students beyond the core curriculum.”
Students at both campuses will be given priority in the common public school application process in order to find new schools for next school year.
In addition to these two schools closing -- James M. Singleton School and Arise Academy will also be shutting down at the end of the school year after both charters were not renewed for the next school year.
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