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Soaring in Louisiana

Students learn from a teacher who is also an aviation pilot on the tarmac at Helix Aviation Academy, part of the Helix network of outstanding charter schools.

In Opelousas, St. Landry Parish, Louisiana, a $14 million investment is addressing a critical community need. Self-Help has provided strategic financing to support the construction of Helix Artificial Intelligence and Medical Academy (Helix AIM), the fourth campus in the growing Helix Community Schools network. 

The $14,045,860 financing from Self-Help supports the construction of a state-of-the-art facility for 600 students. Located on a 25-acre property in Opelousas, the campus broke ground in July 2024 and is scheduled to open its doors in August 2025.

Preston Castile Jr., (front, center) founder of Helix Community Schools Network, guides members of Self-Help’s commercial lending team on a tour of the site for Helix AIM.

Enter Helix Community Schools Network

The new K-5 elementary school will bring something of an educational lifeline for St. Landry Parish, one of Louisiana's poorest areas. When a bond referendum for public school improvements failed in 2022, the school board reached out to Preston Castile Jr., founder of the successful Baton Rouge-based Helix Community Schools Network, with an invitation to build and operate a school in Opelousas.  

Construction of the campus began in July 2024 — the first substantial construction project in the district for more than thirty years. When finished, the school will provide high-quality education focused on science and technology for area students, with long-term plans for both middle and high school expansion.

A Proven Track Record

The Helix network has already shown promising results in its Baton Rouge campuses. Student test scores show they're closing achievement gaps faster other schools in the area, and students in Helix high schools have college acceptance rates above district averages.

The network's innovative "STEAM" curriculum (adding the A for “arts” to traditional STEM programming: science, technology, engineering and mathematics) creates learning environments where students can gain marketable technical skills. At Helix Aviation Academy, and Helix Legal Academy, existing schools within the network, students gain real-world experience in key professions, gaining both college preparation and immediately marketable skills. The Helix network brings a practical approach that offers students real options — some choose college, while others can begin careers right away, offering immediate income and economic mobility in historically underinvested communities like Opelousas.

Financing Innovation

Charter Schools have long been a focus of Self-Help’s commercial lending. We specialize in lending to high-performing charter school networks that serve areas experiencing disinvestment.     

Expanding these networks to serve more students can be financially challenging. That’s where Self-Help's specialized approach comes in. We use creative underwriting to make ambitious but critical projects financially viable.   

Our financing model recognizes that innovative charter schools may need patient capital and flexible terms to serve the students who need them most, and we are here to provide it.

Hands-on learning in an aircraft at Helix Aviation Academy.

Self-Help is proud to partner with innovative charter networks like Helix Community Schools, helping bring excellent educational opportunities to students across the country.

Self-Help’s charter school lending is creative, analytical and focused on impact. We recognize that innovative charter schools may need patient capital and flexible terms to complete what are sometimes ambitious construction projects. In some cases, these are projects that might struggle to secure conventional financing but can fundamentally change educational opportunities in communities experiencing disinvestment.