Board approves plan to close Grand Coteau Elementary and reassign K–4 students

The St. Landry Parish School Board voted to approve a staff plan to close Grand Coteau Elementary and reassign its kindergarten–4th-grade students to nearby schools beginning in the 2026–27 school year. The staff map uses Highway 93 as a dividing line and identifies 157 students who would be reassigned; 72 of those students already live in the receiving zones and pre-K registrations for 2026 were not yet included.

During the presentation, a staff member explaining the map said, “I took Highway 93, and I used that as a main dividing line between Leonville and Arnaville,” noting the map was drawn with transportation feeders and proximity in mind. Board members questioned capacity and whether the map departed from an earlier consolidation plan that aimed to reduce the number of campuses. One member argued, “We need to stick with the plan,” urging adherence to the previous Leonville/Canton proposal.

The motion to adopt the staff plan was challenged by a substitute motion to revert to the original Leonville/Canton split; the substitute motion was seconded but failed on roll call. The board then took a roll-call vote on the original staff recommendation; the clerk announced six votes in favor, three opposed and one abstention, and the motion carried. The board directed staff to begin reassigning students by grade and to return with any necessary follow-up details for implementation.

Board members asked staff to return with clarifying details on how students will matriculate into middle school zones, transportation logistics, and whether any students who transfer in-parish would be allowed to remain at their preferred campuses. The board did not adopt a change to middle-school zoning during this meeting; those decisions remain for future consideration.