Discovery Schools began as an idea held by a small group of Jefferson Parish residents wanting to reform public education. Starting in Kenner, Louisiana, Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy opened its doors with 420 students in grades Pre-K-3rd, 5th, and 6th. In 2016, Kenner Discovery expanded to high school and now educates over 2,000 students in grades Pre-K through 12th.

In 2018, the formidable founding team at Kenner Discovery developed a central office -- Discovery Schools -- and expanded the success to serve the needs of more Jefferson Parish residents. In 2020, the second school, Dr. John Ochsner Discovery, opened in Jefferson, Louisiana, implementing the structure and best practices that contributed to the success of Kenner Discovery. In 2023, Discovery Schools expanded beyond Jefferson Parish and opened its third school in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Discovery Schools currently educates over 3,000 students in Louisiana.

Discovery prides itself on its tuition-free, open-enrollment, academically successful public charter schools that embed health sciences topics into the curriculum. Our concept allows us to home-grow future healthcare professionals and healthy citizens for our community.

Discovery schools are free public charter schools that have the flexibility to adapt to the educational needs of individual students.

The mission of Discovery Health Sciences Academy is to provide a rigorous learning environment where students achieve academically, develop intellectual curiosity, and practice environmental responsibility while exploring health and science topics and careers.

Core values are the HEART of our school culture. Our core values; Honor, Endurance, Academic Achievement, Responsibility, Tolerance (HEART) are the pulse that reinforces positive student behavior. Discovery incorporates social skills and character development into the daily academic curriculum. School culture is shaped by a character skills program, positive behavior techniques, restorative justice, and conflict resolution skills.

The vision of the Discovery Health Sciences Foundation Board of Directors is to establish a Pre-K through 12th-grade charter school network. The experienced leadership team of Discovery delivers an innovative and accountable education model. Discovery students are college and career ready.

Lower school students learn about good nutrition, healthy lifestyle choices, physical fitness, and a sustainable environment. They explore science and technology with 21st-century tools across all subjects. They help maintain a butterfly and vegetable garden. Reading, writing, and assessments connect across subjects. From an early age, students understand how they learn, make informed choices, set learning goals, and track their progress.

Middle and high school students follow the scientific method and practice science exploration. Through health and environmental literacy, they'll learn about preventive physical and mental health measures, establish personal health goals, examine public health concerns, identify environmental issues, and research effective solutions. Students learn to propose questions and research answers. They use technology, traditional research, and writing to create evidence-based reports. Reading, writing, and assessments connect across subjects. Our students understand their learning styles, advocate for learning, and track their personal learning goals and academic progress.

Student achievement is the most important and unifying theme. Discovery's shared leadership model develops school-wide ownership of student achievement. The Discovery administrative team and stakeholders established a creative and rigorous academic learning environment with a strong school culture. At the core of Discovery's academic philosophy are data-driven planning, high-quality instruction, health and sciences infusion across subjects, educational technology, hands-on learning, inquiry instruction, and problem-solving through synthesis and evaluation.

We believe education is a joint effort and commitment from teachers, students, and parents. Discovery creates multiple opportunities for student-parent relationships to grow and flourish. The entire framework of our pedagogy, curriculum, high-quality instruction, rigorous assessment, character development, health sciences integration, and the home-school partnership provides students with inventive, flexible minds. Skills that students will use to continue their education or training to be active citizens in this diverse nation and global world.