BATON ROUGE - A committee of the whole East Baton Rouge Parish School Board approved setting a minimum GPA for entrance into the new Lee High School magnet program.

The vote Thursday night was rendered by the entire school board, but since it was meeting in committee fashion, the decision must be ratified in a procedural move at an upcoming board meeting. The superintendent supported the change.

In an interview ahead of the vote, new superintendent Warren Drake said a minimum 2.5 GPA is needed to make sure students are prepared for the demands associated with classes at the school.

"Because of the rigor that's going to be required at that school and because it's a dedicated magnet, we would like to put in a 2.5 minimum average," he said in a previous interview with WBRZ News 2. Drake added students entering the school will also have to take a test.

Lee High School will open in the 2016-2017 school year after a few years of construction. The school remains on the property along Lee Drive.

"It's going to be one of the best schools in Louisiana, if not the southeast region of the United States," Drake said.

Drake expects the school to reach its capacity of 1,200 students quickly. Families in the Lee High school zone will have the first chance at getting in followed by students from other areas of the school district.

The 2.5 GPA will be an average of the previous two years.

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