Our Affiliated Site: The Arthur Ashe Charter School  in New Orleans, Louisiana

facts about Arthur Ashe Charter School:

  • Grades Served: Kindergarten – eighth grade
  • Average Enrollment: 780 students
  • School Facility: The school is a two-story building in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans. It has an outside courtyard and playground, a large garden, a cafeteria, a library, and a kitchen classroom.
  • Staff: The staff includes 115 faculty members and 10 administrators. The student-to-staff ratio is 15:1.
  • Meals: Breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks are provided daily. All children qualify for the federal free and reduced-priced meal program.
  • Medical: A full-time medical professional provides care for students.
  • Partners: Arthur Ashe Charter School partners with the local Second Harvest Food Bank, Communities In Schools, AmeriCorps, teachNOLA, and Relay to provide education and nutritious meals.

 

The Arthur Ashe Charter School in New Orleans is located in the Gentilly neighborhood of New Orleans in an area bounded by Lake Pontchartrain on the north. Its floodwall was breached during Hurricane Katrina, and the neighborhood was badly damaged. Families returned slowly, and most homes required major gutting and repair work before they could be reoccupied. As communities rebuilt and recovered after Hurricane Katrina, many charter schools were established.

Arthur Ashe’s charter is owned and operated by FirstLine Schools, which is New Orleans’ oldest homegrown charter school organization. FirstLine Schools strives to create a child-focused community at each school while being equally committed to teachers’ growth and support. Its signature program is Edible Schoolyard New Orleans, which teaches children and adults to make healthy connections through food and the natural world. All its schools, including Arthur Ashe, have a hands-on garden as well as culinary and nutrition classes. Since its opening in 2007, the Arthur Ashe Charter School has supported children who come from a high-trauma population. Arthur Ashe provides a safe and supportive environment in which children from low-income communities can access an education where they are cared for, loved, and supported so they can focus on childhood.