Travis Hill School

Travis Hill School in New Orleans, LA, is a small alternative school serving 117 students in grades 3 through 12 within the Orleans Parish district, where nearly all students (97.44%) come from low-income households.

This school stands out for serving students who have faced significant challenges in traditional settings, but its outcomes are concerning. The graduation rate is critically low at just 12.0% for the 2024-2025 school year, compared to the state average of 85.0%. Nearby alternative schools like Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy (94.6%) and Riverside Alternative High School (63.6%) perform much better. The dropout rate is also extremely high at 16.1%, over five times the state average. Academic proficiency is very low, with only 9% of students proficient in Geometry and 19% in English II, though there is a small bright spot: 37% of students were proficient in English I, suggesting a potential area of strength. The student-teacher ratio is an unusual 85.5:1, far higher than the typical 15:1 or less seen in other schools, which may indicate a non-traditional model relying on independent coursework.

One puzzling data point is the reported 0.0% chronic absenteeism rate for every year since 2020-2021, which is highly improbable given the school's low graduation and high dropout rates—this likely reflects a data reporting issue. Compared to other struggling alternative schools like Dr. Martin Luther King Charter School for Sci Technical (55.6% graduation rate) and Riverside Alternative (63.6%), Travis Hill faces even steeper challenges. For parents considering this school, it is important to understand that it serves a high-risk population and may function as a last-resort option for credit recovery, with outcomes that are significantly below both state averages and nearby alternatives.