| The community of Madisonville has twice dedicated the buildings located at CS Owens Road in Madisonville to be used
as a school. The original school buildings were known as the Rosenwald School. The main classrooms and office building opened for
children in 1959. The cafeteria building was previously located on the site in 1957. The original buildings were closed after the
1967-1968 school year. During the time the main school building was empty, items such as doors, windows, removable supports and
fixtures were vandalized and burglarized. The older people of the community reported that they remember cows wandering in and out of
the building!
With the population growth moving north and west of the Lake Ponchartrain Causeway, the St Tammany Parish School Board of 1977-1978
reviewed a feasibility study to reopen the Madisonville Rosenwald School as Madisonville Elementary School. The board and community
recognized the need to move the Kindergarten through 3rd Grade to its own facility and added four additional classrooms. The school
served the community surrounding the town. Population growth has caused the school to respond in recent years with two additional
buildings: a permanent building to house special education and Kindergarten children and a building of modular classrooms for 2nd and
3rd Grade children.
Madisonville Elementary School has undergone many changes since the reopening in November 1978. An exceptional relationship has
been established between the school, parents, children and community, and their support and participation has helped the school
accomplish much more than would have been possible otherwise. The school has developed a committee system to allow for smooth and
effective site-based management. the development of a progressive technology program within the classroom, a successful cultural
arts program, an entertaining TV broadcast program and the establishment of a reading/testing criterion-referenced test are all
highlights at Madisonville Elementary. Despite our continued growth, Madisonville's original small, river town roots are still
evident in the local ambiance.
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