View source for Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans

==History==
[[File:Lycee Francais NOrleans.jpg|thumb|right|Patton St. Campus, the former St. Francis of Assisi School, in September 2014]]
[[File:Eleonore Street Uptown NOLA Jan 2012 St Paul Church of Christ Front.JPG|thumb|St. Paul's Church of Christ, Eleonore & Patton Streets, Uptown New Orleans]]
[[File:ClaiborneAvFirstPresp15Nov07B.jpg|thumb|Claiborne Avenue, showing buildings attached to First Presbyterian Church]]

[[File:Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans, March 2021 04.jpg|thumb|Monroe Street, 2021]]
The school opened in 2011.<ref name=Moga>{{cite web|author=Moga, Nathalie|url=https://france-amerique.com/en/le-lycee-francais-de-la-nouvelle-orleans-accredite-par-letat-francais/|title=Le Lycée français de La Nouvelle-Orléans accrédité par l'Etat français|work=[[France-Amérique]]|date=2014-07-30|access-date=2020-05-25|language=fr}}</ref>

Originally the school operated out of the [[Audubon Zoo]] and the First Presbyterian Church, with three classrooms at each location. That year the school was making plans to sign a lease on a school building.<ref>Morris, Robert. "[http://uptownmessenger.com/2011/11/lycee-francais-november-board-meeting/ Lycee Francais nearing deal for new school building]." ''[[Uptown Messenger]]''. November 14, 2011. Retrieved on August 3, 2012.</ref> The school had to rent facilities since, according to its charter classification, the Louisiana state government and the OPSB did not guarantee the school facilities.<ref name=Jewsonmajorwork>{{cite web|author=Jewson, Martha|url=https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_fa29a53d-d742-509f-be58-d9836ca71f92.html|title=Lycée Français has major work ahead to open Priestley campus |newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]]|date=2015-06-08|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> Jill Otis was the first CEO of the school.<ref name=DreilingernewCEO>{{cite web|author=Dreilinger, Danielle|url=https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_3c1fce7d-f05e-5536-a3f1-de9ef3d68f2a.html|title=New CEO takes over at New Orleans' Lycee Francais, possibly ending leadership upheaval |newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]]|date=2013-07-09|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> The [[Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education]] (BESE) authorized the charter of the school.<ref name=Dreilingerstepinprobcont>{{cite web|author=Dreilinger, Danielle|url=https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/01/consultant_begins_leadership_i.html|title=State steps in as problems continue at French immersion charter Lycee Francais|newspaper=[[The Times Picayune]]|date=2013-01-16|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130118065946/https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2013/01/consultant_begins_leadership_i.html|access-date=2020-05-25|archive-date=2013-01-18}}</ref> It was not a part of the [[Recovery School District]] (RSD).<ref name=DreilingernewCEO/>

In November 2011 St. Francis of Assisi Church agreed to lease its school building to the lycee.<ref>{{cite web|author=Morris, Robert|url=https://uptownmessenger.com/2011/11/lycee-francais-announces-st-francis-of-assisi-school-at-state-and-patton-as-new-campus/|title=Lycée Français announces St. Francis of Assisi school at State and Patton as new campus|newspaper=[[Uptown Messenger]]|date=2011-11-21|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> Milestone SABIS Academy previously leased the building; the Milestone SABIS school leadership learned of the change through the media.<ref>{{cite web|author=Vanacore, Andrew|url=https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_e1600c89-8267-5a13-84d0-f5e74811d7ad.html|title=Charter school mystified after St. Francis of Assisi leases building out from under it |newspaper=[[The Times Picayune]]|date=2011-11-23|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref>

In April 2012, Jean-Jacques Grandiere became the interim CEO. By fall 2012 the school received a deficit of $80,000, and the school had to lay off some employees. At that time Grandiere had resigned. The chairperson of the board hired a former [[McGehee School]] employee, Gisele Schexnider, as the interim CEO. In response some parents complained to the Louisiana state government. Danielle Dreilinger of ''[[The Times-Picayune]]'' stated that this decision resulted in "Trust [having] bottomed out".<ref name=DreilingernewCEO/> Parents critical believed that the decision happened too quickly and that it was not right that the hiring was done without a previous superintendent search.<ref>{{cite web|author=Dreilinger, Danielle|url=https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_ee463ff0-5a59-5916-8b40-955cc5c05331.html|title=Lycee Francais parents upset about hasty hiring of interim school director|newspaper=[[The Times Picayune]]|date=2012-12-11|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> There was also a group of parents who supported Schexnider.<ref>{{cite web|author=CatalAnello, Rebecca|author2=Martha Jewson|url=https://www.nola.com/news/article_3b274f6d-385e-576d-b2ed-956e7338bd24.html|title=Lycée Français leader explains bullying stance |agency=The Lens|newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]]|date=2013-01-31|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref>

On January 11, 2013, parents filed a formal complaint with the BESE.<ref name=Dreilingerstepinprobcont/> In response, John White, the Louisiana state superintendent of education, appointed a person to assist the school to get a permanent leader, Jeremy Hunnewell, who was of both EMH Strategy and the Louisiana Association of Public Charter Schools, in December 2012;<ref>{{cite web|author=Dreilinger, Danielle|url=https://www.nola.com/education/index.ssf/2012/12/john_white_intervenes_to_help.html|title=John White intervenes to help struggling Lycee Francais charter school in Uptown|newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]]|date=2012-12-22|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> this was a decision Dreilinger described as unexpected.<ref name=DreilingernewCEO/> In 2013, due to the initial sudden changes in leadership, Dreilinger described the school as "troubled".<ref name=DreilingernewCEO/>

The board had selected Mireille Rabaté as the new CEO for 2013 but she declined the job.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.nola.com/news/education/article_1f2b976a-a301-5893-9bcd-8cb48237f1de.html|title=Rabate declines Lycee CEO job calling it 'one of the most difficult decisions' of her life |newspaper=[[The Times-Picayune]]|date=2013-05-22|access-date=2020-05-25}}</ref> On July 1, 2013, Keith Bartlett became the new CEO. Its tentative enrollment for fall 2013 was 400 and it covered up to the third grade.<ref name=DreilingernewCEO/>

In 2014 the school joined the Association of French Schools in North America (AFSA, {{langx|fr|Association des Écoles française d’Amérique du Nord}}, AEFA) group and received accreditation from the [[French Ministry of Education]].<ref name=Moga/>

In 2015 it had 466 students. That year, the OPSB sold the three-story former Alfred C. Priestly Junior High School campus to the Lycee.<ref name=Jewsonmajorwork/>

By 2016 the school had 721 students. It had two additional campuses: St. Paul's United Church of Christ,<ref name=LyceeVoteRequestJohnson>{{cite web|url=https://uptownmessenger.com/2016/12/lycee-francais-holds-december-board-meeting-live-coverage/|title=Lycee Francais votes to request Johnson building in Carrollton as temporary space|newspaper=[[Uptown Messenger]]|date=2016-12-19|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref> and Central St. Matthew United Church of Christ, the latter beginning in 2016. That year the student population was expanding and the school was seeking additional temporary space.<ref>{{cite web|author=Melancon, Jamal|url=https://uptownmessenger.com/2016/09/lycee-francais-may-need-more-space-sooner-than-later/|title=Lycee Francais may need more space sooner than later|newspaper=[[Uptown Messenger]]|date=2016-09-23|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref>

In 2016 the lycee's board approved plans to ask to open a campus at the former James Weldon Johnson Elementary School in [[Carrollton, New Orleans|Carrollton]].<ref name=LyceeVoteRequestJohnson/> Space in Johnson opened up since [[Sophie B. Wright Charter School]] vacated the building that year as renovation in its permanent facility had been completed.<ref name=MorrisMeetingLive>{{cite web|author=Morris, Robert|url=https://uptownmessenger.com/2016/11/lycee-francais-holds-november-board-meeting-live-coverage/|title=Lycee Francais eyes temporary move to former Johnson campus (live coverage)|newspaper=[[Uptown Messenger]]|date=2016-11-14|access-date=2020-05-27}}</ref> The request was approved in March 2017.<ref>{{cite web|author=Morris, Robert|url=https://uptownmessenger.com/2017/03/lycee-francais-discusses-move-to-johnson-campus-live-coverage/|title=Lycee Francais approved for move to Johnson campus amid parents' misgivings|newspaper=[[Uptown Messenger]]|date=2017-03-13|access-date=2020-05-26}}</ref>