Why New Orleans

New Orleans has long been a proving ground for educational innovation. Nearly all public school students are served by nonprofit charters—autonomous, flexible organizations capable of rapid learning and adaptation.

Teacher and student are looking at a laptop screen together indoors. High school classroom in New Orleans using AI tools. Photo courtesy of Collegiate Academies.
Teacher with glasses and curly hair helps students with laptops during classroom activity. High school classroom in New Orleans using AI tools. Photo courtesy of Collegiate Academies.
A woman with long, wavy blonde hair wearing a green jacket and a lanyard is looking at a young man with braided black hair who is wearing a black sweatshirt with white text and a green lanyard. They are indoors, engaging in a conversation.

  • Academic Leadership: New Orleans has led the country in academic recovery since 2019 and recently earned its first-ever citywide “B” letter grade from the state. Independent researchers found that between 2022 and 2025, students here grew faster in reading than 99% of U.S. districts, and faster in math than 98%.

  • Systemwide Autonomy: 99% of students attend charter schools, provided with autonomy over curriculum, staffing, and tools in exchange for accountability for student learning.

  • Serving All Students: New Orleans schools are built to support every learner, including those with the most complex needs.

Young woman with glasses and a heart necklace reading a paper in a classroom or office setting.
“It’s the largest, broadest and most sustained improvement we’ve ever seen in a U.S. school district—with substantial improvement everywhere we have looked, from test scores and parental satisfaction through to college access and reduced involvement in crime.”
— Douglas N. Harris, Education Research Alliance of New Orleans (August 28, 2025)