Summary:
The St. Bernard Parish school district in Louisiana serves approximately 7,592 students across 12 public schools, including 7 elementary schools (PK-5), 3 middle schools (6-8), and 2 high schools (6-12 or 9-12), and is ranked 53rd out of 116 districts in the state with a 3-star rating.
For parents, standout elementary schools include Lacoste Elementary School, which earned a 4-star rating with 82% of students proficient in English Language Arts (ELA) and 70% in Math, and boasts a low chronic absenteeism rate of 9.7%. Joseph J. Davies Elementary School also shines with a 4-star rating, 76% ELA and 74% Math proficiency, and the district's lowest chronic absenteeism at 6.4%. J.F. Gauthier School excels in Math with 76% proficiency, the highest among elementary schools, despite 67.2% of students being economically disadvantaged. In contrast, Arlene Meraux Elementary School is the lowest-performing traditional elementary school with a 1-star rating and 46% Math proficiency. At the high school level, Chalmette High School is a bright spot with a strong 92.6% graduation rate, though it struggles in Geometry (57% proficient) and U.S. History (51%). Middle schools show a district-wide weakness in Math, with proficiency ranging from 55% at Andrew Jackson Middle School to 67% at St. Bernard Middle School.
Key takeaways include a strong link between low chronic absenteeism and high performance, as seen at Davies and Lacoste, while C.F. Rowley Alternative School faces extreme challenges with a 63.7% absenteeism rate and 0-star rating, serving a high-need population. The district's dropout rate (1.1%) is well below the state average (3.1%), and socioeconomic factors vary widely, with free/reduced lunch rates from 55.23% at Lacoste to 88.89% at W. Smith Junior Elementary School, though J.F. Gauthier demonstrates that effective teaching can overcome these barriers.
Thank you for your feedback!