Best Public Schools in Gray, LA

Gray, Louisiana, is home to a single high school, H. L. Bourgeois High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 with a large enrollment of 1,289 students as part of the Terrebonne Parish school district.

H. L. Bourgeois High School shows a mixed academic profile. It outperforms the state average in several key subjects, including Geometry (64% vs. 57%), English II (71% vs. 67%), and U.S. History (58% vs. 55%) for the most recent school year. However, its state ranking has been declining, dropping from the 71st percentile (4 stars) in 2023-2024 to the 54th percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, indicating that other schools are improving at a faster pace. The school also has a high student-teacher ratio of 17.4:1 and a significant percentage of students (68.97%) eligible for free or reduced lunch.

The most critical challenge facing the school is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 34.7%—far above the district (26.7%) and state (22.5%) averages. Despite this, the school maintains a graduation rate of 86.0%, which is above the state average of 85.0%. This paradox suggests effective credit recovery programs may be in place, but it also raises concerns about student preparedness. Test scores show notable year-to-year volatility, such as English I dropping from 75% to 64% and Geometry falling from 70% to 64%, pointing to inconsistent performance that may depend on specific student cohorts or instructional changes.