Louisiana School for Math Science & the Arts

It is the best public high school in the State of Louisiana. My son has the opportunity to study with academically gifted students like himself.
—Submitted by a parent

The Louisiana School for Math, Science and the Arts has the best of all worlds: bright kids, challenging classes, wonderful enrichment activities, and broad exposure to the arts. Every child should be so lucky to attend a school like this one!

It lets those gifted individuals with little resources sore into a world of opportunity.

Absolutely wonderful school!! The teachers are outstanding. I have a sophmore there this year, this is the second year that they've accepted sophomores. He absolutely loves it. It is a lot more challenging than his old school and he's having to work a lot harder, but he is very interested in the classes, is really learning, not just doing 'busy' work as he often had in his old school. Wonderful place, the teachers and staff care about the students, the students are interested in learning, the dorm staff is wonderful also. I would highly recommend this place for anyone with a high acheiving child. They won't be bored here and they won't be wasting their time, as happens in regular school so much!! Great environment and great learning atmosphere, along with caring, well organized faculty and staff.
—Submitted by a parent

Finishing up my review: I wanted to say the PhD history and science teachers are absolutely outstanding. Fantastic and gifted teachers passionate about their subjects. Re: the bootcamp nonsense--if only! My daughter had to learn to get off Facebook and do some homework, and this school did make a dent in that activity, finally. She certainly wasted enough time after school on non-academic interests. Which means, there is certainly time after school to hang out and enjoy life as well as keep up your grades, even if you tend to procrastinate as my child does. I'm very grateful that she had the opportunity to attend this school and learn some basic time management skills before attending college, where she would have floundered her freshman year for sure. I LOVE THIS SCHOOL for its academics & shaping of the individual student.
—Submitted by a parent

Top rate academics and opportunities beyond what normal high schools offer. This school really prepares you well for college and life. If a child is mature enough, then it's definitely no brainer to send them here, especially if their old high school do not offer many advanced classes. I would have had only 1 class to take my senior year if I remained in my district. However, there are few students who should have stayed home. Loved the faculty here. They're great. Very supportive and reaches out to students. Appreciated all their help and efforts. - Class of 2001
—Submitted by John Yu, a former student

Some kids love this school, others hate it. The academics are great, and if your kid is bored at their school and wants to commit the majority of their remaining highschool life to academics then this is the school for them. Otherwise, I'd tell your kid to hold off until college. You only get better scholarships if you just want to go to LSU. The reason for this is that the school is so competitive. It's insane some of the projects these kids do, but if you're kid is a nerd and likes all that then they'll be incredibly happy. But, if your kid just happens to be smart and likes having a life beyond school, I do not recommend it because it's like academic boot camp for college without most of the fun. -alumni class of 2005
—Submitted by a former student

Four of our children graduated from LSMSA. All did well in college and started well in their careers. Top rate academics, concerned faculty and a learning structure that nurtures creativity and critical thinking are hallmarks of the school. It is the only public residential high school in the nation that offers indepth instruction in Math, Science, Humanities and the Arts. As important as the education are the lifelong friends made. The alumni community is active and is building a good network. Students repeatedly return to visit faculty long after graduation. Such an educational opportunity is especially vital for rural students who don't have access to AP courses, arts education, and PhD level faculty. It's demanding, but also fun and a great preparation for the top level colleges its students subsequently attend.
—Submitted by a parent

I am a former student and can definitely say I was more prepared for college after my experience here. Although some fellow students may hav enot been ready for the college-like atmosphere and the freedoms associated with being away from home, those with good focus and dtermination walked out with a leg up on students from traditional schools.
—Submitted by a former student

Class of '99. This is an absolutely amazing school. First class academics, and a really concerned staff. I left this school with an unweighted GPA of 3.6, and I'm about to graduate from LSU with 3 majors. LSMSA really prepared me for the rest of my academic career. Competitive extracurricular activities are somewhat limited because LSMSA isn't in a school district. However, non-competitive extracurriculars can't be beat. It's located on a college campus, which gives students access to equipment that they normally wouldn't be able to use. Especially, art students. One caution: do not send your child to this school if you have any question about his or her maturity. This is a high-pressure, high-stress environment. But if your kid can handle it, LSMSA is a life-changing experience.
—Submitted by Stephanie DeHaven, a former student

Certainly the finest public education available! College level for HS students. Your student (and you) must be able to deal with being away from home and not having as broad a range of extracurricular activities but the academic content and opportunity is second to none. The staff is primarily PhD level and every effort is taken to reach out to the students. Your student will be exposed to new ideas in an environment of his or her academic peers. The only drawback is that you as a parent have your child going 'off to school' 2 years early.
—Submitted by Steve Velten, a parent