December 2 was an exciting day for Lafayette Preparatory Academystudents and staff who were celebrating the ground breaking of the school’s new permanent facility. With the help of IFF and Urban Improvement Construction, LPA will have a new home in St. Louis. Project developer UIC will buy, renovate, and lease the 25,000-square-foot facility back to LPA. IFF will help finance leasehold improvements for the permanent campus through a $570,000 loan.
LPA currently leases space in downtown St. Louis. In the 2016-2017 school year, the growing charter school will move into its newly renovated facility, which will have 13 classrooms, a music room, art room, gym, and staff support areas. The new building will house the school at capacity and allow LPA to expand into middle school grades in the future.
Born out of a concern that downtown St. Louis has few quality school options, LPA began serving a diverse population of families in 2013. Sixty-two percent of its students are minorities and 59 percent of students qualify for a free or reduced lunch.
This expansion will further LPA’s commitment to providing quality education by creating 116 new seats for students and eight new jobs in the charter school.