Lydia Patterson Institute

Lydía Patterson Institute
Address
517 Florence St. Downtown El Paso El Paso , (El Paso County, Texas) , Texas 79941 United States
Coordinates	31°45′19″N 106°28′56″W
Information
School type	Donor Supported, Private, Coeducational
Motto	"Building Bridges Where Faith and Knowledge Intersect"
Religious affiliation(s)	Christian
Denomination	United Methodist
Established	1913
Founder	Lydia Patterson
President	Carla Cardoza
Principal	Marisol Beltran del Rio
Grades	7–12
Gender	Coed
Enrollment	<300
Average class size	15-30
Language	English language & Spanish
Campus	Urban
Campus type	Closed
Color(s)	Burgundy and Grey
Athletics conference	Texas Association of Private and Parochial Schools & University Interscholastic League
Sports	Soccer, Basketball, Volleyball, Baseball, Track and Field
Mascot	Lion
Nickname	La Lydia
Team name	LPI Lions
Rival	Cathedral, Father Yermo, Loretto Academy
Accreditation	Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Newspaper	LPI Tribune
Yearbook	"The Pattersonian"
School fees	Tuition
Tuition	2018 - $500/month , $2,400
Website	lpi-elpaso.org

Lydia Patterson Institute is a Methodist Christian college-preparatory school located in El Paso, Texas, United States. Founded in 1913 it offers programs for Spanish-speaking children, primarily from Ciudad Juárez, Chihuahua to attend high school in the United States and attend a Methodist graduate university. All high school classes are taught in English, and the school is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

History

At the beginning of the 20th century in El Paso, there were very few educational opportunities for poor Hispanic boys. Since the State of Texas did not provide public education of any kind for non-English speaking students, most Hispanic children in the Second Ward were not receiving any formal education. Lydia Patterson, a Methodist laywoman, recognized the gravity of this problem, and in 1906, she began to set up day classes for boys in the homes of area Methodists. Upon her death in 1909, her husband Millard Patterson, a local attorney, decided to memorialize her by establishing the school that she had envisioned, and in 1913, construction began on the Lydia Patterson Institute. In 1921, LPI became one of the first schools in the country to emphasize the teaching of English as a Second Language, or ESL, merging students into the appropriate grade upon completion of the ESL program.

External links

• Lydia Patterson Website
• Lydia Patterson Facebook Page
• Lydia Patterson students cross border to forge futures
• CNN Report on LPI
• LPI Tribune Website