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Pearl Watson Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5

534^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 690 Louisiana Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of Louisiana elementary schools

Summary

Pearl Watson Elementary School is a small, PK-5 school in Lake Charles, LA, serving 219 students as part of the Calcasieu Parish school district, where over 91% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school has historically faced significant challenges, consistently ranking in the bottom quartile of Louisiana elementary schools, with a current 1-star rating in the 23rd percentile. Its most pressing issue is an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate—27.5% in 2024-2025—which is notably higher than the district average of 20.9% and far exceeds rates at nearby schools like Fairview Elementary School (14.6%) and Oak Park Elementary School (15.0%).

Despite these hurdles, Pearl Watson shows a promising upward trend in Mathematics proficiency, rising from 37% in 2022-2023 to 57% in 2025-2026—a 20-point gain that now ties it with the highest-performing nearby non-magnet school, Brentwood Elementary School. However, English Language Arts scores have plateaued around 54%, and Social Studies proficiency is critically low at just 20%, compared to the district average of 64%. The school has also improved its student-teacher ratio from 15.7 to 10.9 over the past few years, which may be helping drive math gains.

Pearl Watson is part of a cluster of high-poverty schools in Lake Charles, including Barbe Elementary School, Ralph F. Wilson Elementary School, and T. H. Watkins Elementary School, all with over 87% free/reduced lunch and high absenteeism. Notably, T. S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School, just 1.38 miles away, is a 5-star school with 100% proficiency and only 1.3% chronic absenteeism, highlighting the impact of school choice on the local landscape. For parents, Pearl Watson’s math improvement and smaller class sizes are bright spots, but addressing absenteeism and boosting ELA and Social Studies remain critical priorities.

219

Students ?

10.9

Student/teacher ratio ?

$18,016

Per pupil spending ?

91.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1300 5th Street
Lake Charles, LA 70601

(337) 217-4860

District: Calcasieu Parish

Students who attend Pearl Watson Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Ray D. Molo Middle Magnet School
High:	Washington/Marion Magnet High School

Racial breakdown:

African American:

92.2%

White:

3.2%

Hispanic:

3.2%

See top rated Louisiana elementary schools

Compare Pearl Watson Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 13th percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 10 percentile points since 2016

✓Small classes — about 11 students per teacher

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Louisiana average (44% vs 62% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Social Studies scores 35 pts below the Louisiana average

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school44%

District avg68%

Louisiana avg62%

534^th of 690

Louisiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▲ up 9 pts since 2016

From bottom 13% (2016) to bottom 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

22^nd 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	27.3	534 of 690	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	21.2	562 of 666	15.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	36.4	457 of 675	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	10.4	684 of 730	6.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	22.4	589 of 727	19.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	591 of 729	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.6	638 of 731	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	7.8	694 of 728	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2017	8.4	707 of 739	4.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2016	19.8	642 of 742	13.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.7	715 of 792	9.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	17.9	683 of 777	12.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	45.0	453 of 772	41.3%	★★☆☆☆
2012	35.9	529 of 764	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2011	61.4	339 of 766	55.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	34.3	530 of 736	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	9.4	697 of 738	5.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	3.4	729 of 743	1.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	12.5	660 of 725	9.0%	☆☆☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	37.0	369 of 548	32.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	30.2	384 of 501	23.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	43.4	296 of 509	41.8%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.3	507 of 570	11.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.6	438 of 562	22.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	33.7	382 of 564	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	29.5	441 of 559	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	31.3	433 of 547	20.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2018	37.5	181 of 281	35.6%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	29.9	507 of 679	25.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	15.8	571 of 633	9.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	29.8	477 of 635	24.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	7.8	687 of 705	2.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	13.6	635 of 701	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	17.5	603 of 705	14.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	25.4	573 of 684	16.2%	★☆☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	27.7	538 of 685	21.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.9	503 of 661	23.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	42.1	422 of 674	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	11.4	679 of 723	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	33.2	509 of 724	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	23.8	559 of 719	22.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	23.5	593 of 697	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	20.8	609 of 682	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	28.0	532 of 682	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	30.8	476 of 641	25.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	41.3	411 of 651	36.9%	★★☆☆☆
2023	18.2	610 of 713	14.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	31.3	499 of 712	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	15.8	614 of 704	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	18.8	603 of 696	13.4%	★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2023	13.0	280 of 296	5.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	31.7	240 of 333	27.9%	★☆☆☆☆

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)

Disabled (2018)36th percentile+31 vs school

African American (2026)33rd percentile+10 vs school

Female (2026)25th percentile+3 vs school

Male (2026)22nd percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)21st percentile~ school

Special Education (2023)5th percentile~ school

By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics57%-5 vs state

English Language Arts54%-16 vs state

Social Studies20%-35 vs state

★

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Schools Near Pearl Watson 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	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
Pearl Watson Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1300 5th Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4860	219	20	10.9	91.8%	7 (3.2%)	202 (92.2%)	7 (3.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.9%)	27.3	534^th of 690 public elementary schools	22.6%		21.2	562^nd of 666 public elementary schools	15.6%	28	62.0	65.0	45.0	57.0	51.0	50.0	60.0	54.0	10.0		30.0	20.0	$18,016
Oak Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2001 18th Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4850	259	25	10.3	84.9%	6 (2.3%)	244 (94.2%)	3 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (2.3%)	23.2	566^th of 690 public elementary schools	18.0%		25.2	526^th of 666 public elementary schools	21.0%	40	53.0	36.0		49.0	43.0	45.0	73.0	53.0	29.0		38.0	30.0	$19,066
John J. Johnson II Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	500 Malcolm Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4900	131	12	10.8	96.9%	6 (4.6%)	118 (90.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (4.6%)	13.3	637^th of 690 public elementary schools	7.7%					(n/a)	50.0	46.0	27.0	42.0	46.0	42.0	46.0	45.0		25.0			$23,068
Ralph F. Wilson Elementary School	Public	3-5	1400 Opelousas Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4750	92	13	7.3	95.7%	0 (0.0%)	88 (95.7%)	1 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (3.3%)								(n/a)													$27,027
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
T. H. Watkins Elementary School	Public	K-5	2501 Seventh Avenue	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4590	165	16	10.0	90.9%	6 (3.6%)	147 (89.1%)	5 (3.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	7 (4.2%)	16.3	626^th of 690 public elementary schools	9.3%		35.5	452^nd of 666 public elementary schools	32.1%	174	44.0	37.0	41.0	40.0	41.0	63.0	45.0	48.0		33.0	33.0	34.0	$20,609
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
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
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
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

Frequently Asked Questions about Pearl Watson Elementary School

Is Pearl Watson Elementary School a good school?

Pearl Watson Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.6% of Louisiana elementary schools.

How many students attend Pearl Watson Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 219 students attended Pearl Watson Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Pearl Watson Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Pearl Watson Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Ray D. Molo Middle Magnet School
High : Washington/Marion Magnet High School

What is the racial makeup of Pearl Watson Elementary School?

Students at Pearl Watson Elementary School are 92% African American, 3% White, 3% Hispanic.

What district is Pearl Watson Elementary School in?

Calcasieu Parish

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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.