A New Orleans charter school operator has volunteered to close one of its campuses next year, a move welcomed by school district officials seeking to shrink the system’s footprint in anticipation of a future with fewer students.
Community Academies of New Orleans, or CANO, will move Esperanza Academy out of Crossman Elementary School on S. Carrolton Avenue, a historic building that needs costly repairs.
Esperanza will be merged with CANO’s other school, Foundation Preparatory Academy, to form one school with two campuses: Esperanza Foundational, serving grades Pre-K-4, will be based at 3121 St. Bernard Avenue and Esperanza Middle, with grades 5-8, will be housed at 3201 Live Oak. The school plans to gradually expand its dual language programs so that eventually students can study Spanish and English across all grade levels…