When Lafayette High School students arrive for the 2025–26 school year, they won’t just be starting a new academic year, they’ll be stepping into history. For the first time, students will walk through the doors of a brand-new campus purposefully built to support learning, community, and growth.
The journey began more than four years ago when the Lafayette Parish School Board approved the vision and architects at AQ Studios began the creative process. Today, that vision stands as a stunning, 330,000-square-foot, three-story facility, more than twice the size of the Lafayette Costco and designed to accommodate up to 2,300 students.
When the first bell rings this August, approximately 1,800 students and 170 faculty members will be there to bring the building to life. A staggered start will help ease the transition, giving Principal Layne Edelman and her team time to introduce students– both new and returning– to the layout and new routines. “Everyone is learning this building together,” Edelman said. “That gives us a unique opportunity to grow as a school family from day one.”
The project was brought to life through the work of Lemoine, with an average of 250 workers on site each day and more than one million man-hours logged since construction began.
The school’s amenities reflect a commitment to student opportunity and campus culture. The Mighty Lion band and chorus will perform in the 605-seat Scotty Walker Concert Hall. Students can relax in outdoor seating areas or enjoy lunch in the open-air dining hall, which seats more than 400. Each academic department has a dedicated floor, fostering deeper collaboration among teachers and a more focused learning environment for students.
Extracurricular offerings have expanded as well. Specialized rooms will house the band and chorus programs, while two gyms– including a new facility on the east side– will serve student-athletes and performing arts students alike. Two weight rooms, one for boys and one for girls, are located on the second floor. The football field is nearly complete, and the team hopes to host a true home game this season. Still to come: a dedicated practice field for the nationally recognized Mighty Lion Marching Band and a large new parking lot where the original school building once stood.
The original Lafayette High, built in the 1950s, will be razed in the coming weeks. With asbestos abatement complete, the site will soon be cleared to make room for additional parking and beautification efforts that match the modern look and feel of the new campus.
Neighbors and commuters will also benefit from a new traffic signal at the intersection of Congress and Marie Antoinette. Lafayette Consolidated Government expects it to be operational by November.
The new Lafayette High is more than a school building—it’s a symbol of progress, pride, and the promise of continued growth for generations of students to come.