Summary:
This analysis focuses on a single high school, Edna Karr High School, located in New Orleans, LA, which serves grades 9 through 12 with an enrollment of 1,097 students.
Edna Karr High School presents a compelling paradox for parents. On one hand, the school excels at keeping students on track, boasting a remarkable 93.8% graduation rate and a very low 0.8% dropout rate, both significantly better than the state averages. On the other hand, its academic proficiency on state tests (LEAP exams) in core subjects like Algebra I, English I, and U.S. History generally falls below the state average. The school’s strongest subject is Biology, where it consistently meets or exceeds state proficiency levels, while English I is a clear area of weakness, with a proficiency gap of 10 to 17 percentage points below the state. A notable bright spot is a significant 16-percentage point improvement in Geometry proficiency from the 2024-2025 to the 2025-2026 school year, though it still trails the state average.
Key metrics show that the school serves a high-poverty student body, with 73.38% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. The student-teacher ratio is a favorable 14.4:1. However, chronic absenteeism is a concern at 26.3%, which is higher than the state average of 22.5% and may contribute to the lower test scores. The school is ranked 172nd out of 325 high schools in Louisiana (47th percentile) for the 2025-2026 school year, earning 2 out of 5 stars, a ranking that has shown slight improvement over the past three years. The district itself, Edna Karr High School, is ranked 50th out of 116 districts. The data suggests a school that is highly effective at supporting students through to graduation but faces challenges in ensuring all students reach proficient academic standards, particularly in English and math.
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