Tensas Elementary School

Tensas Elementary School in Saint Joseph, LA, is a small, rural school serving 154 students in grades PK-5 within the Tensas Parish district, where nearly all students (96%) come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

This school has shown remarkable recent progress, transforming from a historically low-performing school into a district leader. In the 2024-2025 school year, it achieved its best-ever ranking, placing in the 65th percentile statewide—a dramatic improvement from its 1-star rating just a few years prior. Tensas Elementary significantly outperforms its own district in all tested subjects, with 57% of students proficient in math compared to the district's 44%, and 63% in ELA versus 59%. The school is particularly effective for students from low-income backgrounds, ranking in the 78th percentile statewide for this group in 2024-2025. However, preliminary 2025-2026 data shows a sharp drop to the 32nd percentile, signaling a potential reversal that warrants attention. Social Studies remains a notable weakness, with only 32% of students proficient, far below the state average of 55%.

Chronic absenteeism is a persistent challenge, spiking to 38% in 2023-2024 before improving to 26.1% in 2024-2025—still above the state average of 22.5%. With a low student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1, the school has the capacity for personalized instruction, which likely contributes to its ability to support its most vulnerable students. The key takeaway for parents is that Tensas Elementary has demonstrated a strong ability to help students from high-poverty backgrounds succeed, but recent data suggests these gains may be fragile. The school's leadership must urgently investigate the causes of the 2025-2026 decline and continue focusing on attendance and Social Studies instruction to sustain its upward trajectory.