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J. Wallace James Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-5
178th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 699 Louisiana Elementary Schools
Better than 75% of Louisiana elementary schools
Summary

J. Wallace James Elementary School in Scott, LA, is a large, high-performing PK-5 school within the Lafayette Parish district, serving 957 students and earning a 4-star rating from SchoolDigger for five consecutive years.

This school stands out for its exceptional academic results and remarkably low chronic absenteeism. In the 2025-2026 school year, J. Wallace James achieved 81% proficiency in Math and 82% in English Language Arts, far exceeding state and district averages. This performance is a stark contrast to nearby schools like S.J. Montgomery Elementary School (44% Math, 47% ELA) and Alice N. Boucher Elementary School (47% Math, 51% ELA). Even more impressive is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of just 7.2%, compared to the district average of 24.0% and rates of 43.0% at J.W. Faulk Elementary School and 39.3% at Alice N. Boucher. This low absenteeism is a powerful sign of strong family engagement and a positive school culture that prioritizes daily attendance.

J. Wallace James also demonstrates effectiveness with a diverse student body, ranking in the 79th percentile for low socio-economic status students—a key differentiator from schools with similar poverty levels. While the school excels in Math and ELA, its Social Studies proficiency (64%) is a relative weakness, with 4th and 5th-grade scores falling below the district average. The school's student-teacher ratio of 20.1 is higher than many neighbors, yet it maintains high performance, highlighting instructional efficiency. Notably, the percentage of students receiving free or reduced lunch has dropped from 63.9% to 51.1% over two years, signaling a demographic shift worth monitoring.

957
Students ?
20.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$13,280
Per pupil spending ?
51.1%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 1500 W. Willow St.
       Scott, LA  70583-5303

(337) 521-7700

District: Lafayette Parish

Racial breakdown:

African American:
50.5%
White:
42.0%
Hispanic:
4.2%
more
 See top rated Louisiana elementary schools

 Compare J. Wallace James Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
▬ Ranking trend: Holding steady — 74th percentile in 2016 → 75th in 2026
Strengths
✓Test scores above the Louisiana average (74% vs 62% meeting standards)
✓Above the Louisiana median (75th percentile)
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school74%
District avg68%
Louisiana avg62%
178th of 699
Louisiana public elementary schools ?
Top 25%▬ steady since 2016
See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Elementary Schools →
★★★★★
SchoolDigger rating ?
11th of 23Elementary Schools in the Lafayette Parish
28th of 119Lafayette 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202673.7178 of 69974.5%★★★★☆
202577.1158 of 66676.3%★★★★☆
202479.7137 of 67579.7%★★★★☆
202382.7109 of 73085.1%★★★★☆
202281.1130 of 72782.1%★★★★☆
202168.3237 of 72967.5%★★★☆☆
201965.8283 of 73161.3%★★★☆☆
201860.9245 of 72866.3%★★★☆☆
201769.0252 of 73965.9%★★★☆☆
201674.5192 of 74274.1%★★★★☆
201570.0236 of 79270.2%★★★★☆
201471.1225 of 77771.0%★★★★☆
201368.0248 of 77267.9%★★★☆☆
201278.8140 of 76481.7%★★★★☆
201170.3251 of 76667.2%★★★☆☆
201075.6192 of 73673.9%★★★★☆
200966.4270 of 73863.4%★★★☆☆
200865.5293 of 74360.6%★★★☆☆
200758.3333 of 72554.1%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202675.993 of 55683.3%★★★★☆
202578.966 of 50186.8%★★★★☆
202476.891 of 50982.1%★★★★☆
202378.096 of 57083.2%★★★★☆
202279.174 of 56286.8%★★★★☆
202167.8140 of 56475.2%★★★★☆
201965.5169 of 55969.8%★★★☆☆
201858.4211 of 54761.4%★★★☆☆

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
201823.6238 of 28115.3%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202675.6146 of 68878.8%★★★★☆
202573.9159 of 63374.9%★★★★☆
202479.3126 of 63580.2%★★★★☆
202377.5138 of 70580.4%★★★★☆
202278.8134 of 70180.9%★★★★☆
202157.8317 of 70555.0%★★★☆☆
201963.0273 of 68460.1%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202670.6171 of 69375.3%★★★★☆
202572.4167 of 66174.7%★★★★☆
202469.4198 of 67470.6%★★★★☆
202376.1137 of 72381.1%★★★★☆
202272.7164 of 72477.3%★★★★☆
202157.2314 of 71956.3%★★★☆☆
201952.3356 of 69748.9%★★☆☆☆
201853.4341 of 68250.0%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202669.3213 of 69069.1%★★★☆☆
202575.8150 of 64176.6%★★★★☆
202475.6158 of 65175.7%★★★★☆
202380.0120 of 71383.2%★★★★☆
202281.1125 of 71282.4%★★★★☆
202168.6218 of 70469.0%★★★☆☆
201961.5303 of 69656.5%★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202332.634 of 4626.1%★★☆☆☆
202252.723 of 4852.1%★★★☆☆
201968.815 of 4667.4%★★★★☆
201872.711 of 4475.0%★★★★☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202661.5129 of 40768.3%★★★☆☆
202558.490 of 24162.7%★★★☆☆
202446.4109 of 20847.6%★★☆☆☆
202357.4114 of 29661.5%★★★☆☆
202270.571 of 30776.9%★★★★☆
202176.947 of 30684.6%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202672.1121 of 50275.9%★★★★☆
202568.8120 of 43172.2%★★★★☆
202477.980 of 43481.6%★★★★☆
202382.066 of 51887.3%★★★★☆
202277.099 of 51780.9%★★★★☆
202150.6289 of 52244.6%★★☆☆☆
201961.7208 of 51759.8%★★★☆☆
201874.6112 of 51678.3%★★★★☆
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)
African American (2026)83rd percentile+9 vs school
Female (2026)79th percentile+4 vs school
White (2026)76th percentile~ school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)75th percentile~ school
Male (2026)69th percentile-5 vs school
Special Education (2026)68th percentile-6 vs school
Multi-racial (2023)26th percentile-59 vs school
Disabled (2018)15th percentile-51 vs school
By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts82%+12 vs state
Mathematics81%+19 vs state
Science70%+11 vs state
Social Studies64%+9 vs state

5.0
1 rating · 1 written review
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What people are saying
by a parent
Tuesday, October 27, 2015

Open Quote This school is a wonderful example of how a caring faculty can bring children success! Close Quote





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Frequently Asked Questions about J. Wallace James Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 957 students attended J. Wallace James Elementary School.

J. Wallace James Elementary School ranks 178th of 699 Louisiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Students at J. Wallace James Elementary School are 50% African American, 42% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

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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.

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