OPELOUSAS, La. — The St. Landry Parish School Board voted Thursday night to merge Opelousas Junior High School with Opelousas Senior High School following years of failing academic performance.
Board members approved the merger with eight votes in favor and one abstention.
The decision comes after the district received a letter from the Louisiana Department of Education warning that the state could take over Opelousas Junior High if the school continued to receive a failing grade. The school has earned an “F” rating for the past seven years consecutively.
District leaders said merging the junior high with Opelousas Senior High was the district’s best option to avoid a state takeover.
Opelousas Junior High Principal Dr. Sherika Guidry-Simon said she was initially nervous about the merger but now believes the move could benefit students.
“I became very optimistic because they have many opportunities where the students can grow, if needed, in sports and academics that are available,” Guidry-Simon said.
Before the board’s vote, Simon received a standing ovation from board members and community members for her work to improve the struggling campus.
She said the school had been working toward improving its performance but needed more time.
“If I had the time that I needed, I feel like we would have grown into what they wanted, which was at least a D or C status,” Simon said. “But in a year and a half, we just didn’t have the time.”
Superintendent Milton Batiste said the school’s struggles reflect deeper academic challenges that began earlier in students’ education.
“Traditionally, it’s been a systemic issue,” Batiste said. “We had kids who were struggling earlier on at a foundational level, and it was bottle necking Opelousas Junior High School.”
Despite the school’s performance rating, several Opelousas Junior High students were recognized at the meeting for placing in the district’s science fair.
Simon said those accomplishments show the potential of students as they prepare to transition to Opelousas Senior High.
“This school, although it was an F school, combining it with a C school can only advance them to the next level,” she said. “I am telling them to step up to the plate. They can do this.”
District leaders say the merger is expected to impact more than 200 students attending Opelousas Jr High and will take effect for the 2026-2027 school year.
