Summary:
This analysis focuses on a single institution, Sarah Towles Reed High School, a public high school in New Orleans, LA, serving grades 9 through 12 with 397 students, operating as its own district, Sarah Towles Reed High School, which is ranked in the bottom 10% of Louisiana districts.
Sarah Towles Reed High School faces significant challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom 16% of Louisiana high schools and earning a 1-star state rating. The school serves a student population where 89.42% qualify for free or reduced lunch, a key indicator of economic hardship. Academic proficiency on state LEAP exams is dramatically below state averages across all subjects, with the most severe gap in English I, where only 31% of students are proficient compared to 66% statewide. The graduation rate of 75.7% also trails the state average of 85.0%. However, there are notable positive trends. The school's state ranking has improved from the 6th percentile to the 16th percentile in one year, and proficiency rates increased in every subject, with Algebra I jumping from 32% to 49% and English II from 27% to 43%. This suggests recent interventions may be gaining traction.
A standout data point is the school's 0.0% dropout rate, which is far better than the state average of 3.1% and indicates strong student retention. However, this must be weighed against the 75.7% graduation rate, meaning some students are not graduating on time. The chronic absenteeism rate of 25.8% is higher than the state average of 22.5% and, given the high poverty level, represents a critical barrier to further academic improvement. While the school is clearly struggling, the recent upward trend in test scores and state ranking offers a glimmer of hope for parents considering this school.
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