This school sits alone in an open field, still resting on its original concrete foundation. Most of the roofs have caved in, leaving heaps of broken timber, twisted metal, and open sky above what used to be classrooms and hallways. Moving through the building was slow and careful work—downed beams, soft spots in the flooring, and thick vines and brush force you to pick your path.

In rural Louisiana that kind of cover is ideal for snakes and whatever else has moved in. A few desks remain upright among the rubble. Scattered books lie nearby, their pages swollen from years of rain and heat, covers faded and peeling.