LAFAYETTE, La. (KPEL News) — The Lafayette Parish School Board voted 5-2 Thursday night to close Ovey Comeaux High School, and now one number demands attention: 113%.
That’s how full Southside High School in Youngsville already is. It is one of only two schools in the entire Lafayette Parish School System currently above capacity, according to fall 2024 enrollment data from The Advocate. And under the plan the board just approved, roughly 208 additional students are headed there for the 2026-27 school year.
Download the KPEL-FM Mobile App Now
Southside Was Already Overcrowded Before Thursday’s Vote
Southside opened in 2017 as a relief valve for an overcrowded parish, including Comeaux, which at that time was using portable buildings to handle overflow. About 900 students were rezoned to Southside when the school opened in August 2017. The move worked — for a while.
But Southside’s own enrollment has climbed steadily since then, and the school is now the largest high school in Lafayette Parish with nearly 1,900 students. The strategic planners LPSS hired last year told the board directly that an ideal school capacity sits between 80% and 85%. Southside is operating at 113%, well past that benchmark. The only other school above capacity in the parish is J. Wallace James Elementary, sitting at 102%.
Sending 208 more students to a campus already stretched thin is not a minor logistical footnote. It is the most immediate operational question the district now has to answer.
What the Superintendent Said, And What Remains Unanswered
Superintendent Francis Touchet addressed the capacity question during a Wednesday morning interview on NewsTalk 96.5 KPEL, the day before the vote. He said his team analyzed all three receiving schools and that he personally visited each campus…