Especially in the era of COVID-19 choosing a school is a BIG decision and not one that comes easily. The normally HUGE decision of choosing an educational institution in Lafayette Louisiana has become even more of a daunting task with new items to consider like – in person versus distance learning, what virtual learning looks like, and school’s plans for safety during the pandemic. It is our hope that this guide to Lafayette area school open houses will make it easier for you to navigate open house season, as well as these new waters of education, during a pandemic.
***Please note, we do recognize that Open House dates and requirements may be a fluid situation this year. Please contact each school directly to confirm any programing or options.***
Whatever you choose for your family, from an educational standpoint this fall and spring, please know that we wish you safety, happiness, connection and confidence. This is not an easy year. We stand by all of you, our readers, and the choices that you make for your families regarding education.
Would you like to have your school added to this guide?
Please email karen{@}thelafayettemom{dot}com.
A Guide to Lafayette Schools, Admissions Tours and Open Houses
Ascension Episcopal School
As an academic institution, Ascension Episcopal School prepares students to navigate the world and a future that we can only imagine, to hold jobs that do not yet exist, and to face challenges that will not emerge for decades. With an eye to the future, we place emphasis on Creativity, Critical Thinking, Complex Communication, Collaboration, Community Commitment, and Christ-Centered Consciousness with all grade levels. Ascension Episcopal School provides students with the skill, knowledge, and mindset to propel our graduates into the world with grounding confidence and promise.
Open House Details:
River Ranch Campus: Grades PK3-K | Monday, November 9, 2020
Downtown Campus: Grades 1-7 | Tuesday, November 10, 2020
Sugar Mill Pond Campus: Grades 8-12 | Wednesday, November 11, 2020
Private tours are available by appointment. Please visit our website for more information.
Episcopal School of Acadiana
At Episcopal School of Acadiana, experience is everything. Through problem-solving, creating, taking action in our communities, and working together to meet challenges, ESA students come to believe that they can learn anything, and they have the curiosity and resourcefulness to make it happen. ESA is a coeducational, independent college preparatory school rooted in the values of Episcopal education. Our Lafayette Campus is home to PK3 through 5th grade, while the Cade Campus includes 6th through 12th. Instead of hallways and cafeterias, we have open-air walkways and oak-shaded picnic benches. Experience ESA on Preview Day or schedule a tour any time.
Preview Days ::
Tuesday, October 13
Tuesday, November 10
Tuesday, December 8
Tuesday, January 12
Lafayette Campus (PK3-5th) 8:30 am
Cade Campus (6th-12th) 1:00pm
Academy of the Sacred Heart
Come tour our beautiful 225-acre campus this fall and see firsthand the Academy of the Sacred Heart’s 200-year legacy of academic, spiritual, and emotional formation of young women. As the only all-girls school in our region, the Academy offers students the unique opportunity to expand their minds, voices, and hearts in a challenging and individualized academic environment that is designed specifically for how girls learn. Through our rigorous STEM program that encourages hands-on learning and analytical reasoning, our girls are emboldened to go out into the world as leaders in math, science, and technology. Research from the National Coalition of Girls’ Schools tells us that girls’ school graduates are 6 times more likely to pursue majors in STEM-related fields. As for the Class of 2020, 49% of our recent ASH graduates have chosen to major in STEM programs. All of this is accomplished in a nurturing environment that instills confidence, curiosity, and a lifelong love of learning. During these uncertain times, it’s important now more than ever to recognize that a strong foundation is essential for our daughters. By choosing the Academy of the Sacred Heart, your child will be instructed by a leader in education for young women since 1821.
Open House Dates:
October 7, 2020
October 14, 2020
October 21, 2020
October 28, 2020
Private Tours are ongoing and available by appointment.
Berchmans Academy
Join us this fall for the full Berchmans Academy experience! Set against a landscape of 225 majestic acres in Grand Coteau, you’ll discover what makes Berchmans a truly unique place to learn. With our curriculum specifically designed to engage boys academically, spiritually, physically, and emotionally, we offer the only all-boys education option in our region. Berchmans Academy understands that boys learn differently and that they maximize their achievement in small-class environments that encourage hands-on learning, movement, and exploration in nature. Our dynamic STEM program encourages this activated learning through discovery, and our students are challenged to be innovative, engaged, and collaborative. With confidence in their abilities, our Berchmans graduates emerge as young men with the academic foundation, spiritual formation, and fortitude to lead with character and integrity.
Open House Dates:
October 7, 2020
October 14, 2020
October 21, 2020
October 28, 2020
Private Tours are ongoing and available by appointment.
St. Pius Elementary School
St. Pius Elementary School was built by St. Pius X Catholic Church at the turn of the century as a celebration of the new millennium and a gift to St. Pius parishioners and the Lafayette Community. The mission of the PreK – 8th grade school is to “Bring the presence of Christ to others” in a loving, nurturing environment. A data and technology-enabled individualized educational experience is complimented by leadership development and empowerment of each student’s potential results in St. Pius students being prepared not only for high school but also for real world experiences. The St. Pius educational journey is one that students and their families soon realize is relational and relevant in its student-growth focus. Rooted in the Catholic faith, and based in the school mission, educators meet their students where they are today and journey with them to a better place through a commitment to best practices and innovation. At St. Pius Elementary School, administration, faculty and staff realize that children are being educated today for a future that is unknown. Teachers and families join together in their commitment to identifying and providing what each student needs. As a result, the students leaving St. Pius possess not only the knowledge and tools they need but also practical, emotional intelligence and the ability to know how to accomplish any goals they may have in the near, or distant, future.
Applications for Admission for the 2021-2022 school year for students entering PreK – 7th grades will be accepted beginning on October 5, 2020.
Due to COVID restrictions, we are unable to conduct in-person tours but virtual tours of the school are now posted on the Admissions link with the opportunity to schedule a live virtual visit with our Admissions Coordinator and Advancement Director.
Cathedral-Carmel School
We invite you to tour our beautiful campus and see firsthand how we build on tradition, teaching our students Roman Catholic values in an environment of academic excellence. We are committed to developing the “whole child” by offering a variety of opportunities that will assure future growth and vitality in Catholic Formation, Fine Arts, Technology, Athletics, and Hands-On Learning. Our faculty and staff are distinguished with masters and masters-plus certification and are focused on teaching Christ Centered Students in grade PreK-8th. We are one of the few Catholic schools in Lafayette that offers a REC Program (Resources for Exceptional Children) which services children with special needs. We are motivated by our founders, St. John Baptist de la Salle, who calls us to “teach minds and touch hearts,” and Mother Therese Chevrel, who calls us to “Love one another…Uphold one another.”
Applications for Admission for the 2021-2022 school year for students entering PreK – 8th grades will be accepted beginning on October 23, 2020. Private Tours are ongoing and available by appointment.
Carencro Catholic School
We invite you to join us on campus for Open House and private tours to experience the light of our Crusaders. Carencro Catholic School has over 100 years of spiritual, moral, and academic excellence. We provide education in grades PreK3 through 8th grade. Students in grades 3 to 8 are a 1:1 technology ratio. We offer electives such as Spanish, Art, Computer Lab, STEM Lab, and Physical Education. At CCS, we believe in Family, Faith Formation, Foundation, and Fundamentals for all. Admissions applications will open on January 4, 2021.
Open House Details:
PreK3 & PreK4 | Wednesday, October 21, 2020 6 to 7pm
Kindergarten | Thursday, October 22, 2020 6 to 7pm
Private tours are available by appointment.
Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School
Our Lady of Fatima’s rich legacy of Catholic identity, academic excellence, student leadership, and service to the community is unparalleled. The faculty, staff, students and families exemplify our mission statement and are outstanding models of faith and dedication to Catholic education. Christ is the reason for our school. We are passionately enthusiastic about Catholic education because our students learn about Christ’s love and how that love is present in all things, every day, in all classes, and in the school Masses and liturgies. Our outstanding academic program is enhanced with state of the art technology, campus-wide. The school is 1:1 with iPads or MacBook Airs for every student, depending on the grade level. Our X-STREAM (Science, Technology, Religion, Engineering, Arts and Math) Lab, Little Warrior Lab and award-winning Robotics class encourages students to think about topics in different ways. They are challenged to question and use the Scientific Method to find answers to real-world problems. Finally, we are proud of the fact that Fatima school will become an Apple Distinguished School in 2021-2022, an accomplishment achieved by only several schools in Louisiana.Come see for yourself. We welcome private tours upon request.
Applications for new students will be available on FatimaWarrior.com at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, October 26th.
We welcome private tours upon request.
St. Genevieve Catholic School
St. Genevieve Catholic School has been providing students with a Catholic education that empowers them to lead Christ-centered lives within a nurturing environment for over 75 years. Our students in grades PK-8th are engaged in a curriculum that is rich in traditional values, service, responsibility, and academic excellence. We pride ourselves in being a Cognia Accredited school. We work hard to provide our students with an education that is above national standards and technologically competitive amongst other educational facilities. Here at St. Genevieve, we are one large family. Our faculty and staff will love and nurture your child, as if they were their own. It would be our pleasure to provide your family with a private tour and to answer any questions you may have about the upcoming school year. We feel that a private tour is a more personalized experience and allows you to have your specific questions answered. Please visit the link below to enter our Admissions tab where you will find information on tuition, online enrollment, tours, and other admission inquiries. We look forward to meeting and educating your family. Here at SGS, Together we are Sharing God’s Spirit!
Online applications for the 2021-2022 school year will be accepted beginning on Monday, January 4th and continue through Friday, January 29th.
Reach Institute
Reach Institute services students and families seeking a rigorous academic environment for lower elementary students; PreK thru 1st. REACH Institute nurtures a love for learning, exposing students to multiple disciplines, individualizing student instruction, building academic self-efficacy and encouraging students to share their knowledge with each other and the larger community through daily school assemblies and monthly community presentations. Parents interested in REACH Institute’s Learning Community attend one of the Open Houses scheduled throughout the fall and winter, to RSVP, email reach@lusfiber.net.
Open House Dates:
November 18th
January 13th
February 24th
REACH Institute Discrimination Policy: Discrimination on the basis of race, color, creed, sex, national origin, handicapping conditions or ancestry is prohibited.
John Paul the Great Academy
John Paul the Great Academy is a private, PK-12 independent school committed to teaching an exemplary, rigorous classical curriculum, and a comprehensive understanding of the Roman Catholic faith. Our co-educational, college preparatory school serves students and their families by emphasizing fidelity to the Magisterium, and by helping them to grow in their Roman Catholic faith. Students are expected to achieve academically beyond their expectations, to grow spiritually through study and worship, and to become leaders within their secular and church communities. Likewise, faculty members will be outstanding role models for living the Catholic faith, and will be master teachers in their respective disciplines. Above all else, John Paul the Great Academy will promote a steadfast, Roman Catholic worldview that emphasizes knowing truth and living a Christian life.
Tours are available by appointment.
Westminster Christian Academy
Westminster Christian Academy is an independent, non-denominational, K3-12 private school with two campuses in Acadiana. Westminster strives to provide a Christ-centered, Bible-driven education for our students and their families. With an emphasis on our three pillars of Superior Education, Transformative Opportunities, and a Biblical Worldview, Westminster students are prepared to engage culture and shine the light of truth in a dark world, achieving our mission of transforming society in present and future generations. Looking for an Open House? Our house is always open! Take advantage of a personal tour available daily by appointment at both campuses.
For questions or to schedule a tour on our Opelousas Campus, call 337.948.4623.
For questions or to schedule a tour on our Lafayette Campus, call 337.504.3014.
Additional Lafayette Schools and Resources For Your Consideration ::
PUBLIC
Public Elementary Schools:
Public Middle Schools:
Public High Schools:
David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy
CATHOLIC SCHOOLS
Holy Cross Little Shepherds ELC
Schools of the Sacred Heart, Grand Coteau
St. Anne’s Catholic Church MDO & Pre-School
St. Mary Early Learning Center
CHRISTIAN BASED SCHOOLS
First Baptist Christian School
CHARTER SCHOOLS
Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy
Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy
MONTESSORI
