NEW ORLEANS — Audubon Charter School has announced plans to move its upper school (grades 4-8) from the former McDonogh 7 building on Milan Street to its new permanent home in a renovated facility at 3128 Constance Street. The move will happen before the 2022-23 school year. The Constance building is currently home to FirstLine Live Oak Charter, which is closing at the end of this school year because of an unexpected decline in enrollment. The building offers more than 84,000 square feet, a theater and auditorium.
Audubon Uptown’s lower campus, serving grades PK-3, will remain at 428 Broadway Street. Audubon Gentilly, serving grades PK-5, will continue to operate at 4720 Painters Street in Gentilly.
Audubon Schools CEO Dr. Steve Corbett said the Live Oak building on Constance will be a significant upgrade. The former McDonogh 7 School building, which is considered smaller than necessary to house a modern-day school, may become an affordable housing complex, according to published reports citing sources at the Housing Authority of New Orleans.
“We believe this building will be an excellent fit for our upper campus, offering spaces that are optimal for our unique programming and will enable us to provide more enrichment opportunities for our students,” said Corbett in a press release announcing the move.
“We are thrilled after many years to have a permanent home for our middle school students and staff,” said Audubon Uptown’s upper campus Principal Adrienne Collopy. “We finally have the space needed for our students and our programming to grow and thrive. We look forward to making this beautiful campus our new home.”
“These recommendations were made after careful review and evaluation of all applications to determine the optimal qualified operator for each facility,” said New Orleans Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Henderson Lewis Jr., who is beginning a years-long project to optimize the system’s use of resources. “I believe these schools will maximize the use of the campuses and continue to fulfill the district’s mission of providing a high-quality education for the students it serves.”
Audubon Schools was established in 1981. Its mission is to “foster a culturally rich and academically rigorous program using French and Montessori curriculum and a comprehensive arts curriculum.”
