History of Katharine Drexel Early Childhood Education Center

Katharine Drexel Elementary School was founded as the first educational establishment for black children in Broussard, Louisiana. It was through the efforts of Mother Katharine Drexel, that a mission school to serve the black children of Broussard was constructed during the late 1920’s. However, it was not established in the same location and with the name as we know it today.

The school, which was given the name St. Joseph School, was first located on Sacred Heart Parish grounds, where it stayed until 1953. The building was then moved to property which had been acquired for St. Joseph Parish through a donation from Mr. Louis (Loul) Billeaud. An “educational institution” is what St. Joseph School provided until the early 1960’s, when Broussard Negro Elementary, the first public school for black children, was built.

It was not long after Broussard Negro Elementary was built (mid 1960’s), that a teacher who worked under Mother Katharine Drexel, Mrs. Nelson, was successful in “having the Lafayette Parish School Board change the name of the school to Katharine Drexel Elementary School” (p. 16).

 Nevertheless, the school was still only for the black children of Broussard. It was not until 1970, when the courts ordered the total desegregation of schools in Lafayette Parish, that “Katharine Drexel was designated a primary school to serve all students, black and white, in grades K-3.“ Finally, in 1981, grade 4 was relocated from Broussard Elementary and added to the Katharine Drexel Elementary School campus.

In 2019, Katharine Drexel Elementary welcomed 5th grade students onto campus. The school continued as a PK-5th grade school from 2019-2025 with approximately 600 students. As a result of the LPSS District Optimization, it was determined that Katharine Drexel Elementary School would be reconfigured into an early childhood site. For the 2025-2026 school year, Katharine Drexel Early Childhood Education Center will open it's doors to PK and select kindergarten students. We are sad to see our students and staff go that are moving on to other schools, but excited for this new opportunity to continue to lay the foundation and grow our youngest students for a successful future ahead!

"There's nothing greater than a Drexel Gator!"