Best Elementary Schools in Shreveport, LA

This analysis examines 31 elementary schools in Shreveport, Louisiana, serving grades from Pre-Kindergarten through 8th grade, with the vast majority belonging to the Caddo Parish school district, which itself ranks in the bottom 25% of Louisiana districts.

The data reveals a dramatic performance gap between a small group of elite magnet and fundamental schools and a large number of struggling neighborhood schools. The top performers are South Highlands Elementary Magnet School (ranked 3rd in the state), Eden Gardens Fundamental Elementary School (4th), Fairfield Magnet School (7th), and Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School (18th). These schools achieve 99-100% proficiency in math and English, with chronic absenteeism rates under 7%. In stark contrast, schools like Creswell Elementary School (2nd percentile), J. S. Clark Elementary School (3rd percentile), and Broadmoor STEM Academy (4th percentile) show proficiency rates well below 50% and chronic absenteeism rates exceeding 30%. Notably, Claiborne Fundamental Elementary School stands out as a high-poverty, high-performance outlier, achieving top-tier results despite 62.63% of its students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.

Chronic absenteeism is a critical warning sign, with the district average of 31% far exceeding the state average of 22.5%. Schools with the highest absenteeism include Eighty-First Street ECE Center (55.3%), Atkins Technology Elementary School (49.1%), and Pine Grove Elementary School (48.3%). The data also shows that specialized labels like "STEM" or "Technology" do not guarantee success, as Broadmoor STEM Academy and Atkins Technology Elementary School are among the lowest-performing schools. For parents, this means that school choice is critical, with a handful of magnet and fundamental schools offering exceptional outcomes, while many neighborhood schools face significant challenges related to poverty and attendance.