The Cypress Lake Wire

Community News From Journalism Students at UL Lafayette

From the Acadiana Advocate: Whatever happened to the T.M. Landry founders? New book shines light on fraud, abuse allegations

For years, T.M. Landry College Prep in Breaux Bridge made national headlines for sending its students to the Ivy League.Viral videos showed ecstatic Black teenagers opening acceptance letters to Harvard and Yale, capturing the hearts of millions. But a new book by two award-winning New York Times journalists reveals a disturbing underbelly. Far from a miracle, the school’s…

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Photo Courtesy of Robin May, Acadiana Advocate. New York Times reporters Erica L Green, left, and Katie Benner lead a discussion on their book “Miracle Children” about the T.M. Landry School in Breaux Bridge in 2018 at Cavalier House Bookstore on Tuesday, January 21, 2026.

For years, T.M. Landry College Prep in Breaux Bridge made national headlines for sending its students to the Ivy League.Viral videos showed ecstatic Black teenagers opening acceptance letters to Harvard and Yale, capturing the hearts of millions.

But a new book by two award-winning New York Times journalists reveals a disturbing underbelly. Far from a miracle, the school’s success was allegedly built on a foundation of falsified transcripts, fabricated student essays, and a culture of physical abuse and fear.

Read the full story from UL Journalism Senior Kayla Woods-Crane to uncover how this educational dream became a nightmare—and what it reveals about the American college admissions system.

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