Baton Rouge Welcomes Great Hearts Harveston Academy

Great Hearts Academies announced its first location in Louisiana, Great Hearts Harveston Academy, on Friday, Sept. 30, 2022.  

The groundbreaking event dedicated  the campus’ first phase in construction at 11801 Bluebonnet Blvd. in Baton Rouge, in the master-planned community, The Preserve at Harveston.

Keynote speakers included CEO and Founder of Great Hearts Academies, Jay Heiler; Head of School at Great Hearts Harveston Academy, Samuel Heisman; and Board Member of Great Hearts Harveston, Adonica Pelichet Duggan.

“We are excited to begin construction to provide high quality education to Louisiana youth. We hope that Baton Rouge families connect with the hard work that goes into building a school to ensure a safe environment for learning,” said Heiler.

The 13-acre campus is being built from the ground up and includes a college-size gym, football field, and performance stage. The architectural design of the Great Hearts buildings lends to a more classical look with large Roman columns throughout its campuses. At full capacity, Harveston will accommodate about 1,400 students.

“The opportunity to found Great Hearts Harveston is a distinct honor,” said Heisman. “The service-oriented vision for this community and the magnanimous, generous spirit with which we have been invited into it are qualities we hope to cultivate in our students. Baton Rouge is a city with a rich history and culture. The community here is eager for classical education, and it is invigorating to bring this option to everyone, especially those who might not otherwise have the opportunity to access it. As Mortimer Adler says, ‘the best education for some, is the best education for all.’”

Great Hearts Harveston Academy is expected to open in August of 2023, serving grades K-7, with approximately 695 students, and will grow a grade level each year until it’s a fully built out K-12 academy. Great Hearts Harveston will offer a tuition-free, classical liberal arts curriculum.Great Hearts Harveston Academy exists to cultivate the hearts and minds of students through the pursuit of Truth, Goodness, and Beauty. The primary tool of cultivation is the Socratic Method. The school seeks to employ this timeless teaching technique, in which the teacher uses questions and conversations to guide students from what they already know, to what they do not yet know, in all subjects. To learn more, visit greatheartsharveston.org.