The Lafayette Parish School Board has voted to close Ovey Comeaux High School at the end of the 2025–2026 school year and convert the campus into a career training center and centralized sports complex.
The board's decision will remove traditional high school instruction from the Comeaux campus starting in the 2026–2027 academic year.
Students who currently attend Ovey Comeaux will be rezoned to Acadiana High, Lafayette High, and Southside High, where they will take their core classes while the district shifts the Comeaux site to a new mission.
New Use of the Campus
Under the approved plan, the main buildings at Ovey Comeaux will be renovated to house the W.D. & Mary Baker Smith Career Center and the E.J. Sam Accelerated School, according to KLFY.
The career center currently offers hands‑on training in fields such as automotive technology, welding, cosmetology, culinary arts, and medical certifications, and will expand those programs at the new site by the 2028–2029 school year.
The campus will also be renamed the Ovey Comeaux Workforce Innovation Academy, highlighting its new role in job‑focused education. The district projects that ending high school operations at Comeaux will save the General Fund about $2.07 million annually, which school leaders say will help fund the upgrades and new programs.
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Sports Complex and Athletics
The existing sports facilities at the Ovey Comeaux campus will be converted into the Lafayette Parish Schools Sports Complex, a centralized athletic hub for all Lafayette Parish high schools.
This complex will allow multiple schools to share fields, tracks, and practice areas instead of maintaining separate facilities, reducing long‑term maintenance and operational costs.
The Navy JROTC Magnet Academy program, which is now based at Comeaux, will move to Acadiana High School as part of the transition. District officials say the change is meant to keep the magnet program intact while freeing the Comeaux campus for its new career‑center role, Yahoo News reported.
Community Reaction and Concerns
The proposal has sparked strong community reaction from students, parents, and alumni, many of whom oppose the closure and question the plan's timing and cost‑benefit analysis.
Some residents argue that the district recently invested in upgrading Comeaux's facilities, including a new performing arts center, and say it is unclear how student dispersal and growing enrollment will be managed.
Community leaders have urged the board to scrutinize the operational and financial details before fully implementing the move, citing concerns about transportation, class‑size impacts, and the sentimental value of the school.
Even with the board's vote, district staff says they will continue to gather feedback as they draft zoning maps and renovation timelines for the new career center and sports complex, as per KATC.
