False River Academy

False River Academy (commonly False River, or FRA) is a nonsectarian private school located in New Roads, Louisiana in Pointe Coupee Parish. It serves grades Pre-K through 12. The school is independent, and has its own school board. Its enrollment is drawn from Pointe Coupee and surrounding parishes. It is one of two private schools and one of three high schools in the parish.

False River Academy
Address
201 Major Parkway

New Roads
,
Louisiana
70760

United States
Information
TypePrivate School
MottoWhere Excellence meets Honor and Tradition
Established1969 (1969)
CEEB code192214
NCES School ID01650295
PrincipalAshley Allen
GradesPre-K–12
Enrollmentapp. 608[1] (2013)
Student to teacher ratio15.6
Campus size22.57 acres (9.13 ha)
Campus typeSuburban
Color(s)Maroon and gold   
MascotGators
AccreditationsLouisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
WebsiteSchool website

It was founded as a segregation academy in 1969. Its first non-white students enrolled in the late 1990s. In 2005, somewhat more students of ethnic minorities enrolled after Hurricane Katrina displaced them from the New Orleans area. As of 2014, the school was 96.2% white.

During the 2013-2014 school year, the school had 483 students and 29.4 classroom teachers (on an FTE basis), for a student-teacher ratio of 15.6:1.[2]

History
False River Academy Campus in 1969

False River Academy was founded in the summer of 1969 as a segregation academy by white people upset by desegregation.[3][4][5] Although segregation academies were forced to eliminate explicitly racial admissions policies in the 1970s, all of False River's students were white until the late 1990s. In 2014, the student body was more than 96% white.[4] As part of an effort to increase diversity, the school offers several minority scholarships.[6]

When the school was founded, it operated in temporary buildings on the edge of a sugar cane field in New Roads a short distance from False River. The school took its name from this nearby ox-bow lake. Permanent brick buildings and a gymnasium were added in the 1970s as the school grew.

The school is accredited by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE), and holds membership in Louisiana Citizens for Educational Freedom.[7] In 2012, the school became accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Council on Accreditation and School Improvement (SACS CASI).[8]

Beginning in 2015, the school began offering a dual enrollment course for college credit. The dual enrollment course offered include: College Algebra, Trigonometry, Chemistry, English, and Spanish. Credit for the courses can be earned with Louisiana State University or Southeastern Louisiana University.[9]

Student body
False River Academy in October 2013

Besides enrolling students from the local New Roads area, many students from throughout Pointe Coupee Parish and surrounding parishes attend this school. The school enrolls students in grades Pre-Kindergarten through 12th grade. During the 2005 and 2006 school years, the school had an influx of students from Hurricane Katrina-destroyed schools in the New Orleans area. During this time, the school had its largest number of ethnic minority students.[4] According to a 2010 Pointe Coupee Parish Chamber of Commerce Report, which was based on Louisiana Department of Education data, the average composite ACT score for the school was a 21.6. This ranked the school second among the parish's four high schools.[10]

Demographics

In the 2013-2014 school year, the demographic breakdown of the 483 students was:[2]

  • Male - 45.1%
  • Female - 54.9%
  • Native American/Alaskan - 0%
  • Asian/Pacific Islander - 0.4%
  • Black - 2.5%
  • Hispanic - 0.9%
  • White - 96.2%
  • Multiracial - 0%

Academics

False River Academy offers courses designed to meet the requirements for high school graduation set forth by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, as well as the requirements for Louisiana's TOPS Opportunity Award college scholarship program.

The school is part of a vocational training program where students may take courses at a nearby satellite campus of Baton Rouge Community College for high school credit. In addition, it is also part of a dual enrollment program with Louisiana State University and Southeastern Louisiana University. In this dual enrollment programs, students in grades 11 and 12 may elect to take college level courses that are counted for both high school and college credit simultaneously. The dual enrollment courses currently offered are: Chemistry 101, English 101, English 102, American History 201, Spanish 101, College Algebra 1021, and Trigonometry 1022.

Extracurricular activities

The extracurricular activities include a Student Council, Spanish Club; and chapters of national organizations, such as the Beta Club, Junior Beta Club, Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA), Students Against Destructive Decisions (SADD), and 4-H Club. Service organizations such as Key Club coexist alongside clubs which have a primarily social or recreational purpose. Other extracurricular activities include cheerleading; formerly, there was a dance team known as the Gatorettes. Journalism students produce and edit a school newspaper, the Gator Gazette, and the school yearbook, the Gator Tale.

Athletics

The school competes in the following sports:

  • Football
  • Baseball
  • Basketball
  • Softball
  • Track & Field
  • Cross-country
  • Volleyball
  • Power Lifting
  • Cheerleading

In 1989, the school won the Louisiana Independent School Association (LISA) football tournament.[11][12] The school also won the LISA baseball tournament in 1991, as well as basketball in 1977 and 1978, and softball in 1987 and 1989. False River Academy is now a member of the Louisiana High School Athletic Association[13] (LHSAA), and has been competing in this league since 1991. It is a Class single 'A' member of the LHSAA and competes in District 5.[14][15] Since joining the LHSAA, the school has achieved a state championship in cross-country in 1995, as well as Boy's Powerlifting Championships in 1999, 2000, 2010, and 2015.[16][17] The school's Girl's Powerlifting team achieved State Titles in 2006, 2007, and 2010.[18]

References
  1. "False River Academy". SchoolDigger. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  2. https://nces.ed.gov/surveys/pss/privateschoolsearch/school_detail.asp?Search=1&SchoolName=false+river+academy&NumOfStudentsRange=more&IncGrade=-1&LoGrade=-1&HiGrade=-1&ID=01650295
  3. Smith, Patricia. "Text, context, and identities in Pointe Coupee, Louisiana: six young women positioned as writers" (PDF). Retrieved 2017-11-13.
  4. Roy, Brent, "False River Academy celebrates 40th anniversary", The Pointe Coupee Banner, September 24, 2009, p. 4
  5. Thomas A. Klingler (2003). If I Could Turn My Tongue Like That: The Creole Language of Pointe Coupee Parish, Louisiana. Louisiana State University Press. p. 124. ISBN 978-0-8071-2779-7. Retrieved 7 September 2012.
  6. False River Academy | Where Excellence meets Honor and Tradition Archived 2013-12-13 at the Wayback Machine
  7. LA CEC Member Roster 2011-2012 Archived 2014-04-22 at the Wayback Machine
  8. "False River Academy". falseriveracademy.org. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  9. http://falseriveracademy.org/media/12024/fra_course_catalog_rev_6-15-16.pdf
  10. "City of New Roads Community Assessment Report pg. 2" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2013-12-12. Retrieved 2012-10-09.
  11. StMaryNow.com | Franklin Banner-Tribune, Morgan City Daily Review | St. Mary Parish, La. - Tregle’s donation offers a trip down memory lane Archived 2013-02-03 at Archive.today
  12. State Times News Service, "Prep Playoff Roundup", State-Times, Baton Rouge, November 25, 1989, p. 4-C
  13. "LHSAA Member Schools - F". Lhsaaonline.org. Retrieved 2012-09-08.
  14. "Louisiana High School Athletic Association". Lhsaa.org. Retrieved 2012-08-27.
  15. Envoc. "False River". lhsaa.org. Retrieved 17 February 2016.
  16. http://cdn.lhsaa.org/uploads/images/BOYS%20TEAM%20FINISHES%201983%20-%202014.pdf
  17. http://cdn.lhsaa.org/uploads/images/2015_Girls-_Boys_1A_State_Meet_WITH_SCORING_DONE_WITH_ANON.pdf
  18. http://cdn.lhsaa.org/uploads/images/GIRLS%20TEAM%20FINISHES%201992-2014.pdf

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