Summary
R. V. Kerr Elementary School in Bossier City, LA, serves 367 students in grades PK-5 within the Bossier Parish district, a top-performing district in the state, but the school itself has historically ranked in the bottom third of Louisiana elementary schools, earning a 2-star rating in the most recent data.
Academic performance at R. V. Kerr trails district averages significantly, with proficiency rates of 51% in Math, 65% in ELA, and 43% in Social Studies, compared to district averages of 66%, 76%, and 62%. The gap is even starker when compared to nearby W.T. Lewis Elementary School, just 3.3 miles away, which achieved 75% in Math, 87% in ELA, and 72% in Social Studies, placing it in the 86th percentile statewide. However, the school shows a notable strength with its Hispanic students, who have earned a 3-star rating for three consecutive years, outperforming all other subgroups. Chronic absenteeism is a major challenge, with rates fluctuating dramatically—from 23.2% to a high of 50.7% in recent years—and currently sits at 24.7%, slightly above the state average. Despite these struggles, the school benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.5:1, much lower than nearby schools like Apollo Elementary School (14.1:1) and W.T. Lewis (16.9:1), suggesting potential for individualized attention.
The school serves a high-poverty population, with over 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, a factor strongly correlated with performance challenges across nearby schools. For instance, Plantation Park Elementary School (90.35% poverty) and Bossier Elementary School (87.45% poverty) also rank in the bottom 20% of the state, while top-performing schools like Sun City Elementary School (49.39% poverty) have much lower rates. R. V. Kerr is geographically sandwiched between Waller Elementary School (0.66 miles away, 7th percentile) and W.T. Lewis (3.33 miles away, 86th percentile), highlighting how neighborhood demographics shape educational outcomes. The school’s success with Hispanic students offers a glimmer of hope, proving effective strategies exist that could be replicated for other groups. The most impactful interventions would likely focus on addressing root causes like poverty and absenteeism through wraparound services and family engagement, leveraging the low student-teacher ratio as a key asset.
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