LAFAYETTE, La. — The Pre-K French Immersion Program at Myrtle Place Elementary School will continue to serve the community for the 2025-2026 school year.
Earlier this year, KATC reported that the Lafayette Parish School System announced the closure of several schools and programs as part of a district-wide restructuring and consolidation effort.
Myrtle Place's popular language immersion program was initially set to be discontinued, which led to many discussions, petitions, and advocacy to ensure its continuation.
According to parents like Blair Broussard, it worked.
"We are just so excited that it is available for the public," Broussard said.
Broussard has one child enrolled at the school and plans to enroll her two other children in the future when they are school-ready age.
As of now, there are still spots left to register your child in the program.
"We have 7 to 10 spots available out of a 40-seat program. That’s very encouraging, and hopefully, we can develop a wait list. That would mean we have so much demand we could open up another section," Broussard tells KATC.
Concerns emerged earlier this year about whether the late announcement of the Pre-K French Immersion Program at Myrtle Place Elementary might affect parents’ ability to plan their children's schooling for the upcoming fall term.
"Ultimately, we have lost a few students to competitors because private schools require registration fees in advance, whereas LPSS does not. That's a competitive advantage LPSS has," Broussard says.
The immersion program charges a monthly tuition of $603, including school supplies.
"So that's one of the key differences. The contract runs from September to May, and all of the school's supplies are included in the monthly tuition, so parents of Pre-K students do not have to pay for school supplies," she says.
According to LPSS:
"The Pre-K French Immersion Program at Myrtle Place Elementary began accepting applications at the end of April. Seats are limited, and applications are processed in the order received, completed, and eligible. The program will operate as Tuition Only, and Pathway Priority will not be guaranteed for Kindergarten at Myrtle Place for the 2026-27 school year."
Despite possibly losing out on enrollment numbers due to the last-minute notice, Broussard is confident that the loyalty and support for the program will remain strong.
"Unfortunately, some Pre-K students leave because they already made plans, which, that is one of the consequences of the timing of all this," she said. "But I think that those parents who truly understand how wonderful a world language immersion education is, specifically at Myrtle Place— those parents didn't even hesitate and came back."
For more information on enrolling in the Pre-K French Immersion Program, please visit this link.
