Eleanor McMain Secondary School

This analysis focuses on a single school, Eleanor McMain Secondary School, a public high school in New Orleans, LA, serving grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 690 students, which operates as its own district, Eleanor McMain Secondary School.

Eleanor McMain Secondary School presents a mixed but promising profile. Its standout strength is a high graduation rate of 91.9% for the 2024-2025 school year, significantly outpacing the state average of 85.0%. However, this positive metric is contrasted by a critical concern: a chronic absenteeism rate of 45.5%, which is exactly double the state average of 22.5%. This creates a notable paradox, as the school achieves strong graduation outcomes despite nearly half its students being chronically absent. The school's state ranking has stabilized in recent years, moving from a 2-star rating (41st percentile) in 2023-2024 to a consistent 3-star rating (53rd-54th percentile) in the following two years, indicating a recovery and stable, slightly above-average performance.

Academically, the school shows inconsistent performance across subjects. It demonstrates a clear strength in English Language Arts, with English I and II scores consistently at or above the state average. In the most recent 2025-2026 school year, it also outperformed the state in Algebra I (67% vs. 65%) and Biology (61% vs. 60%). Conversely, U.S. History is a persistent weakness, scoring below the state average for two consecutive years. Math performance is notably volatile, with Algebra I scores swinging from well below the state average in 2024-2025 to above it in 2025-2026. Serving a high-poverty population (83.33% eligible for free/reduced lunch), the school's ability to achieve a graduation rate above the state average and perform at or above state levels in most subjects is a testament to its effectiveness, though the high chronic absenteeism remains a significant challenge that likely impacts other academic metrics.