Summary:
The seven public schools in Harvey, Louisiana, part of the Jefferson Parish school district, serve approximately 4,592 students across four elementary and three high schools, all facing high levels of economic disadvantage with over 60% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.
Two charter schools stand out as the top performers in the city. Jefferson RISE Charter School is the only high school with a 2-star rating, boasting a 93.2% graduation rate and a low 17.2% chronic absenteeism rate, far outperforming West Jefferson High School (64.5% graduation, 45.4% absenteeism) and JCFA (38.6% graduation, 79.9% absenteeism). Among elementary schools, Laureate Academy Charter School is the highest-ranked, with the city's lowest chronic absenteeism rate (8.6%) and strong test scores (68% proficient in ELA, 51% in Math). In contrast, Woodmere School is the lowest-ranked elementary school, with only 28% proficient in Math and 44% in ELA.
The data reveals that chronic absenteeism is the most critical challenge, with the city average of 30.3% far exceeding the state average of 22.5%. However, the success of Laureate Academy and Jefferson RISE demonstrates that high poverty rates do not determine failure, as both schools achieve strong results despite serving predominantly low-income populations. JCFA stands out as a school in crisis, with its extreme absenteeism and dropout rates suggesting a need for comprehensive wraparound services beyond academics. Notably, Woodland West School and Woodmere show 100% proficiency in Algebra I and English I for their small groups of advanced 8th graders taking End-of-Course exams, indicating pockets of excellence even in lower-performing schools.
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