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Prien Lake Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

16^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 690 Louisiana Elementary Schools

Better than 98% of Louisiana elementary schools

Summary

Prien Lake Elementary School in Lake Charles, LA, is a high-performing public school serving 639 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade as part of the Calcasieu Parish school district, which ranks in the top 27% of districts statewide.

Prien Lake stands out for its elite academic performance, ranking 16th out of 690 elementary schools in Louisiana—placing it in the top 2% of all schools in the state. This is significantly higher than nearby schools like St. John Elementary School (149th), Dolby Elementary School (194th), and A. A. Nelson Elementary School (133rd). The school achieved a 93% proficiency rate in English Language Arts and an 87% proficiency rate in Social Studies, far exceeding state averages of 70% and 55%, respectively. A standout metric is the 99% proficiency rate in 3rd Grade Mathematics, which is unmatched by any other nearby school, including the top-ranked T. S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School. Prien Lake also excels with English Language Learners, ranking #1 in the state for three consecutive reporting periods, and maintains a remarkably low chronic absenteeism rate of just 9.7%—less than half the district average of 20.9% and far below schools like Brentwood Elementary School (38.2%) and Barbe Elementary School (36.9%).

While T. S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School (ranked #2 in the state) consistently outperforms Prien Lake, it is a magnet school with a selective admissions process and a lower percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (15% vs. 41%). Prien Lake’s ability to achieve near-elite status while serving a more diverse student body—with 41% qualifying for free or reduced lunch—is a testament to its effectiveness. The school earns 5-star ratings for nearly every student subgroup, including African American, Hispanic, White, ELL, Special Education, and Low Socio-Economic Status students, demonstrating that its success is systemic and school-wide. With a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.8:1, Prien Lake is a model of high performance and equity, making it a standout school not just in Lake Charles, but across Louisiana.

639

Students ?

12.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,773

Per pupil spending ?

41.2%

Free/discounted lunch ?

3741 Nelson Road
Lake Charles, LA 70605

(337) 217-4910

District: Calcasieu Parish

Students who attend Prien Lake Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	S. J. Welsh Middle School
High:	Alfred M. Barbe High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

57.9%

African American:

25.7%

Hispanic:

7.0%

See top rated Louisiana elementary schools

Compare Prien Lake Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 96th percentile in 2016 → 98th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Louisiana average (93% vs 64% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 2% of Louisiana elementary schools

✓Among the top-ranked schools in Calcasieu Parish

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school93%

District avg70%

Louisiana avg64%

16^th of 690

Louisiana public elementary schools ?

Top 2%▲ up 2 pts since 2016

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 29Elementary Schools in the Calcasieu Parish

31^st of 116Calcasieu Parish among Louisiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	96.1	16 of 690	97.7%	★★★★★
2025	95.3	16 of 666	97.6%	★★★★★
2024	94.6	18 of 675	97.3%	★★★★★
2023	94.7	24 of 730	96.7%	★★★★★
2022	91.6	38 of 727	94.8%	★★★★★
2021	88.8	64 of 729	91.2%	★★★★★
2019	88.8	61 of 731	91.7%	★★★★★
2018	86.9	37 of 728	94.9%	★★★★★
2017	86.6	58 of 739	92.2%	★★★★★
2016	90.4	29 of 742	96.1%	★★★★★
2015	91.4	27 of 792	96.6%	★★★★★
2014	89.9	31 of 777	96.0%	★★★★★
2013	89.3	37 of 772	95.2%	★★★★★
2012	89.7	35 of 764	95.4%	★★★★★
2011	91.8	26 of 766	96.6%	★★★★★
2010	88.2	51 of 736	93.1%	★★★★★
2009	86.3	61 of 738	91.7%	★★★★★
2008	87.4	55 of 743	92.6%	★★★★★
2007	88.8	46 of 725	93.7%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	95.8	21 of 548	96.2%	★★★★★
2025	95.5	18 of 501	96.4%	★★★★★
2024	89.4	37 of 509	92.7%	★★★★★
2023	93.0	27 of 570	95.3%	★★★★★
2022	84.2	60 of 562	89.3%	★★★★☆
2021	77.7	84 of 564	85.1%	★★★★☆
2019	80.7	83 of 559	85.2%	★★★★☆
2018	84.5	59 of 547	89.2%	★★★★☆

Asian

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2019	81.5	2 of 16	87.5%	★★★★★

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2018	76.6	44 of 281	84.3%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	98.9	1 of 115	99.1%	★★★★★
2023	99.9	1 of 97	99.0%	★★★★★
2022	99.7	1 of 90	98.9%	★★★★★

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	93.8	22 of 679	96.8%	★★★★★
2023	92.7	32 of 705	95.5%	★★★★★
2022	89.6	47 of 701	93.3%	★★★★★
2021	89.0	50 of 705	92.9%	★★★★★
2019	87.1	63 of 684	90.8%	★★★★★

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	93.7	8 of 266	97.0%	★★★★★
2018	98.7	1 of 168	99.4%	★★★★★

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	92.8	25 of 685	96.4%	★★★★★
2025	95.0	26 of 661	96.1%	★★★★★
2024	94.7	27 of 674	96.0%	★★★★★
2023	94.0	26 of 723	96.4%	★★★★★
2022	85.8	62 of 724	91.4%	★★★★★
2021	86.3	60 of 719	91.7%	★★★★★
2019	84.0	76 of 697	89.1%	★★★★☆
2018	88.2	44 of 682	93.5%	★★★★★

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	94.4	23 of 682	96.6%	★★★★★
2024	93.7	20 of 651	96.9%	★★★★★
2023	94.5	23 of 713	96.8%	★★★★★
2022	90.5	40 of 712	94.4%	★★★★★
2021	85.8	71 of 704	89.9%	★★★★★
2019	86.2	70 of 696	89.9%	★★★★★

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	85.9	33 of 361	90.9%	★★★★★
2025	95.3	3 of 241	98.8%	★★★★★
2024	96.4	4 of 208	98.1%	★★★★★
2023	92.9	13 of 296	95.6%	★★★★★
2022	91.4	14 of 307	95.4%	★★★★★
2019	69.1	72 of 333	78.4%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	92.0	17 of 496	96.6%	★★★★★
2023	91.6	25 of 518	95.2%	★★★★★
2022	88.8	28 of 517	94.6%	★★★★★
2021	87.6	44 of 522	91.6%	★★★★★
2019	84.2	40 of 517	92.3%	★★★★★
2018	88.7	23 of 516	95.5%	★★★★★

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

English Language Learner (2026)99th percentile~ school

Hispanic (2026)97th percentile~ school

Female (2026)97th percentile~ school

Male (2026)97th percentile~ school

White (2026)97th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)96th percentile~ school

African American (2026)96th percentile~ school

Special Education (2026)91st percentile-7 vs school

Asian (2019)88th percentile-4 vs school

Disabled (2018)84th percentile-11 vs school

By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics96%+31 vs state

English Language Arts93%+23 vs state

Social Studies87%+32 vs state

3.0

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What people are saying

by a parent
Friday, November 2, 2012

I have experienced a first hand encounter with the school. I truly feel that Prien Lake Elem. is a great school, and their criteria is aswesome. Of course every shcool has flaws, but the major flaw that I had to experiences was with the principal. I find her to be very rude, and she sets a bad example for the children. She's not polite because she only greets certain children. She needs to lead more by example!! Close Quote

Schools Near Prien Lake Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				LEAP Mathematics (2026)				LEAP English Language Arts (2026)				LEAP Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	LEAP Mathematics 3rd Grade	LEAP Mathematics 4th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 5th Grade	LEAP Mathematics All Grades	LEAP English Language Arts 3rd Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts All Grades	LEAP Social Studies 3rd Grade	LEAP Social Studies 4th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 5th Grade	LEAP Social Studies All Grades	Total
Prien Lake Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3741 Nelson Road	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4910	639	50	12.8	41.2%	370 (57.9%)	164 (25.7%)	45 (7.0%)	25 (3.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	34 (5.3%)	96.1	16^th of 690 public elementary schools	97.7%		95.3	16^th of 666 public elementary schools	97.6%		99.0	92.0			89.0			93.0	81.0	89.0	92.0	87.0	$14,773
College Oaks Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3618 Ernest Street	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4560	278	27	10.3	82.0%	51 (18.3%)	202 (72.7%)	17 (6.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.5%)	39.9	440^th of 690 public elementary schools	36.2%		37.6	435^th of 666 public elementary schools	34.7%	5	66.0	42.0	41.0	50.0	63.0	67.0	70.0	67.0	58.0	36.0	38.0	44.0	$21,783
A. A. Nelson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1001 Country Club Road	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4790	736	48	15.1	56.7%	304 (41.3%)	250 (34.0%)	50 (6.8%)	98 (13.3%)	4 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (4.1%)	80.1	133^rd of 690 public elementary schools	80.7%		87.8	74^th of 666 public elementary schools	88.9%	59	82.0	81.0	77.0	80.0	74.0	80.0		80.0	72.0	62.0	70.0	67.0	$14,736
Barbe Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	400 Penn Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4600	179	16	11.5	87.7%	16 (8.9%)	147 (82.1%)	9 (5.0%)	1 (0.6%)	2 (1.1%)	1 (0.6%)	3 (1.7%)	19.2	601^st of 690 public elementary schools	12.9%		29.5	499^th of 666 public elementary schools	25.1%	102	48.0	48.0		48.0	45.0	58.0	52.0	51.0		38.0	29.0	25.0	$20,944
Dolby Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	817 Jefferson Drive	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4730	360	31	11.5	61.4%	146 (40.6%)	170 (47.2%)	21 (5.8%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (5.8%)	74.1	194^th of 690 public elementary schools	71.9%		74.1	176^th of 666 public elementary schools	73.6%	18	77.0	67.0	53.0	67.0	81.0	83.0		81.0	75.0	69.0	65.0	70.0	$17,748
T. S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School	Public, Magnet	K-5	2711 Common Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	Yes	No	No	(337) 217-4680	300	16	18.7	15.0%	201 (67.0%)	42 (14.0%)	16 (5.3%)	22 (7.3%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (6.0%)								(n/a)						100.0		100.0	100.0			100.0	$14,387
Henry Heights Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3600 Louisiana Avenue	Lake Charles	70607	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4620	315	33	9.4	79.7%	44 (14.0%)	238 (75.6%)	14 (4.4%)	2 (0.6%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (4.8%)	25.9	549^th of 690 public elementary schools	20.4%		29.7	498^th of 666 public elementary schools	25.2%	51	66.0	37.0	31.0	45.0	73.0	56.0	54.0	61.0	29.0	33.0	27.0	29.0	$21,468
St. John Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5566 Elliott Road	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4870	670	52	12.9	65.7%	358 (53.4%)	207 (30.9%)	54 (8.1%)	20 (3.0%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (4.2%)	78.2	149^th of 690 public elementary schools	78.4%		70.3	216^th of 666 public elementary schools	67.6%	67		65.0	81.0	72.0	82.0	80.0		83.0	71.0	63.0	75.0	70.0	$15,355
Brentwood Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3825 Brentwood Avenue	Lake Charles	70607	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4610	272	26	10.3	93.0%	6 (2.2%)	252 (92.6%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (2.6%)	45.4	396^th of 690 public elementary schools	42.6%		49.1	361^st of 666 public elementary schools	45.8%	35	58.0		41.0	57.0	70.0	68.0	81.0	74.0	42.0	46.0	44.0	44.0	$19,296
M. J. Kaufman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	301 Tekel Road	Lake Charles	70607	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4740	308	31	10.0	82.1%	118 (38.3%)	133 (43.2%)	25 (8.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	29 (9.4%)	62.5	280^th of 690 public elementary schools	59.4%		71.2	208^th of 666 public elementary schools	68.8%	72	50.0	78.0	71.0	64.0	72.0	77.0		76.0	46.0	65.0	59.0	56.0	$18,371

Frequently Asked Questions about Prien Lake Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Prien Lake Elementary School?

Students at Prien Lake Elementary School are 58% White, 26% African American, 7% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races, 4% Asian.

What schools do graduates of Prien Lake Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Prien Lake Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : S. J. Welsh Middle School
High : Alfred M. Barbe High School

What district is Prien Lake Elementary School in?

Calcasieu Parish

How many students attend Prien Lake Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 639 students attended Prien Lake Elementary School.

Is Prien Lake Elementary School a good school?

Yes! Prien Lake Elementary School is one of the best elementary schools in the state. It ranks 16^th of 690 Louisiana elementary schools.

Rate Prien Lake Elementary School!

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Latest Louisiana data All new data »

2025–26 LEAP test scoresJul 6, 2026

2023–24 dropout ratesFeb 24, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataDec 1, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 graduation ratesNov 22, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Louisiana Dept of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.