What Lusher Charter School does

The Willow School (formerly Lusher Charter School) is a public K-12 charter school operating in New Orleans, Louisiana, under the governance of the nonprofit Advocates for Arts-Based Education Corporation and the Orleans Parish School Board (NOLA-PS) district. The school serves more than 2,200 students across three campuses organized by grade band: the Dr. Everett J. Williams, Jr. Campus (Lower School, grades K-4) at 7315 Willow St., the Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Campus (Middle School, grades 5-7) at 5625 Loyola Avenue, and the Elijah Brimmer, Jr. Campus (High School, grades 8-12) at 5624 Freret St. Its core offering is an arts-integrated curriculum that combines rigorous college-preparatory academics with sustained arts instruction delivered by professional artist-teachers, alongside competitive athletics in LHSAA Class 4A. The school is publicly recognized as a National Blue Ribbon School and holds an "A" rating from the Louisiana Department of Education.

The school's core technology layer is conventional K-12 EdTech: state-of-the-art classrooms with iPad-based kindergarten assessments and computer-based assessments for grades 2-12, complemented by a proprietary admissions matrix scoring system (separate matrices for K-2 and grades 3-12) that produces an eligibility score from weighted components. The institution does not develop commercial technology products; its notable proprietary asset is its arts integration methodology refined over decades.

The business model is public charter per-pupil funding from the Orleans Parish School Board. There is no tuition charged to families, and students must be Orleans Parish residents. Admissions is competitive and runs through the NOLA-PS Common Application Process (NCAP), with priority categories for Tulane affiliates, siblings, economically disadvantaged applicants, and multiples (K-4). A supplemental application (SAF) feeds the matrix scoring, with three enrollment rounds (Main, Spring, Summer). A formal partnership with Tulane University — originally anchored by a $1.6 million post-Hurricane Katrina grant in 2005 — enables dual enrollment for juniors and seniors at no charge and uses Willow classrooms as a professional development site for Tulane's Division of Teacher Education. Distribution is anchored by the school's website, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, a mobile app, open houses, and an admissions office housed at the Middle School campus.

Name

Lusher Charter School

Legal name

The Willow School

Website

https://lusherschool.org

Company type

Public

Founded year

1900

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

The Willow School (formerly Lusher Charter School) is a public K-12 charter school in New Orleans serving 2,200+ students across three campuses with an arts-integrated college-preparatory curriculum, competitive admissions, and a dual-enrollment partnership with Tulane University.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

K-12 Public Charter Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Virtual/Online Charter Schools (EDAJACAD)

akta.pro secondary industry

After-School Academic Support Programs (Centers & Clubs) (EDAJALAM)

Keywords

• K-12 public education
• Arts integrated curriculum
• Charter school services
• College preparatory programs
• Dual enrollment programs

Headquarters

HQ city

New Orleans

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Per-Pupil Funding: Public charter school funded by Orleans Parish School Board/NOLA-PS through per-pupil allocation. No tuition charged to families.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

The Willow School provides tuition-free public K-12 education to over 2,200 students across three campuses in New Orleans, combining college-preparatory academics with an arts-integrated curriculum and competitive athletics. Educational services include Lower School (K-4), Middle School (5-7), and High School (8-12), with specialized offerings such as Tulane University dual enrollment for juniors and seniors, arts instruction by practicing professional artists, and a National Blue Ribbon recognized academic program.

Product overview

The Willow School (formerly Lusher Charter School) is a public charter school offering a unified K-12 educational program. The school's core offering is an arts-integrated curriculum that combines rigorous academics with comprehensive arts education and athletic programs. The institution serves more than 2,200 students across three campuses: Lower School (grades K-4 at Dr. Everett J. Williams, Jr. Campus), Middle School (grades 5-7 at Ellis Marsalis, Jr. Campus), and High School (grades 8-12 at Elijah Brimmer, Jr. Campus). The educational program is data-driven, student-centered, and vertically aligned, emphasizing higher-order thinking skills through arts integration. The school operates as a Type-3 charter under the NOLA-PS district and is governed by the Advocates for Arts-Based Education (AABE) Board. Willow also offers admissions services including eligibility assessments with matrix-based scoring, a mobile application for families, and partnerships with Tulane University providing dual enrollment opportunities. The institution does not offer commercial products or technology services; all offerings are educational programs serving students in Orleans Parish.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• K-12 Public Education Program
• Tulane University Dual Enrollment Program
• Lagniappe Before & After Care Program
• Competitive Athletics Program (LHSAA Class 4A)

Named customers2 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature1 record

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Tulane UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFormal partnership established after Hurricane Katrina with $1.6 million funding commitment. Enables Willow students (juniors and seniors) to enroll in Tulane courses at no charge, graduating with both high school diploma and Tulane transcript. Tulane students serve as teacher candidates in Willow classrooms for professional development. School serves as professional development site for Tulane's Division of Teacher Education.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Lake Forest Charter School: K-12 charter school in the New Orleans metro area; competes in the same NOLA-PS enrollment system and serves similar college-prep oriented families.
• Einstein Charter School: K-12 charter network operating multiple campuses in the New Orleans metro; comparable unified K-12 structure and competes in the same NCAP unified enrollment process.
• Audubon Charter School: K-8 public charter in uptown New Orleans drawing from a heavily overlapping catchment; uses a French-immersion specialty similar to The Willow's arts-integration specialty, illustrating the same differentiation strategy.
• International High School of New Orleans: Public charter high school in New Orleans with a global/international focus; competes directly for college-prep oriented families in the same high-school admissions market.
• New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School (SciHigh): STEM-focused public charter high school in New Orleans; comparable college-preparatory positioning and competes for the same academically strong 8-12 applicant pool.
• Benjamin Franklin High School: Top-rated public charter high school in New Orleans competing for the same academically oriented families; serves the same NOLA-PS admissions market and shares the college-preparatory positioning.
• Bricolage Academy: K-8 charter in New Orleans with an explicit innovation and experiential-learning focus; comparable specialty-differentiation strategy in the same NOLA charter market.
• KIPP New Orleans Schools: Operates a network of public charter schools across New Orleans including K-12 campuses, serving a similar Orleans Parish family base with a college-preparatory focus. Most direct peer in business model, scale, and target market.

Broad incumbents

• KIPP Foundation: National nonprofit operating the KIPP charter network that includes KIPP New Orleans; relevant as the broader operating organization behind a primary local peer, providing shared services, talent, and curriculum infrastructure.

Regional players

• Success Academy Charter Schools: Large, high-performing urban charter network based in NYC with rigorous academic focus; operates in a different geography but is one of the most recognized charter school models nationally with comparable operational scale and selectivity.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCXXiYnrSCaJdfwaum44qu0Q
• Facebookfacebook.com/willowschoolneworleans
• Instagraminstagram.com/willow_school_nola
• Xx.com/LusherPride

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Lusher Charter School