Myrialis King
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER
Myrialis King leads the development of Community Academies and serves as its Chief Executive Officer.
Myrialis King is the Founder of Foundation Preparatory Charter School, a literacy-focused elementary school in New Orleans. Originally from Puerto Rico and a native Spanish speaker, King began her career educating students in the inner-city of Holyoke, MA, where she tutored elementary school students after school, (at the request of her community) started and ran a GED program, and taught high school English. She worked with a large community of, like herself, English Learners (EL), which, coupled with her own educational experience, sparked for her a passion for equitable education.
A champion for EL students and their families and for those whose voices are often muted, King is grounded in the belief that all children, regardless of race, family income level, home language or ability, not only deserve, but need a solid educational foundation in order to create transformational, generational impact.
Before founding Foundation Prep, King left her law career and returned to the classroom, teaching fifth grade English Language Arts at a school in the neighborhood of Central City. During her time in the classroom, 100% of all students that King taught grew at least two grade levels in reading by the end of each year.
King began creating Foundation Prep in 2013, and led a high-performing team that believes all children deserve an academically rigorous literacy-focused curriculum in a loving and safe environment in preparation for academic and life success. Every year, Foundation Prep students have met their yearly goals of reading and math proficiency; In its first testing year, Foundation Prep performed in the top 10% of New Orleans schools and received a School Performance Score in the top 25% of the city’s elementary schools, proving that all students, regardless of home language or family income, can achieve at high levels.King believes in relentlessly and unapologetically teaching students to love to read and learn. She believes this hard, good work can only be accomplished in partnership with our greater community. It is with this guiding principle that she develops and leads Community Academies of New Orleans.