West Side to get a new Spanish school

¿Habla español?

Or, rather, do you wish your child did?

Cincinnati Public Schools is opening a new Spanish-language magnet school in North Fairmount. District officials say LEAP Academy will be similar to the highly popular Fairview-Clifton German Language School. LEAP will open next school year for preschool through third grade, with a new grade added each year until the school runs through sixth grade.

“We are just really excited,” said Superintendent Mary Ronan, announcing a slew of new programs during a Tuesday morning press conference. “We are going to be working really hard this spring to make sure the schools are all ready to go in August.”

Also coming in the 2017-18 school year:

• A new gifted academy in Walnut Hills. The Spencer Center for Gifted and Exceptional Students will serve grades three through eight. Students have to test into that academy.
• A new preschool in the former Carthage School. With 80 new preschool seats at that school plus five additional classrooms at the Rising Stars Academy on Vine Street, CPS will have more than 2,000 preschool seats in 2017-18.

• New programming at nine neighborhood elementary schools. Douglass School will focus on dance and movement; Roll Hill Academy and Ethel M. Taylor on technology; Rockdale on conservation; Mt. Washington and College Hill on expeditionary learning; John P. Parker on environmental literacy; and Bond Hill Academy on math and science.

Those additions follow seven schools that got makeovers this current school year. CPS Deputy Superintendent Laura Mitchell said that by 2020, all of the district’s neighborhood schools will have a specific focus.

Tuesday’s announcements might be a bit late for some parents, as the first round of CPS’ lottery for spots at magnet schools is already complete. There is a second round happening now, but district officials said parents who prefer one of the new options should not reapply. Instead, they should call the school directly where they’d like to enroll their child or call the district’s help line, 513-363-0123.