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Start Elementary School

Q: Is Start Elementary School a good school?

Start Elementary School ranks 487 th of 690 Louisiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-8

487^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 690 Louisiana Elementary Schools

Better than 29% of Louisiana elementary schools

Summary

Start Elementary School is a PK-8 school in the rural community of Start, Louisiana, serving 332 students within the Richland Parish School District, where about 60% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch.

One of the school's standout strengths is its upper-grade English Language Arts (ELA) performance. In the most recent school year, 78% of 7th graders and 76% of 8th graders were proficient in ELA, significantly exceeding both district and state averages. This is a bright spot that suggests strong instruction in upper-level literacy. However, the school's overall state ranking has been on a downward trend, dropping to the 29th percentile. A major concern is a significant achievement gap, as the school ranks much lower for certain student subgroups compared to its overall performance. Additionally, chronic absenteeism has risen sharply from 3.8% to 16.4% in just a few years, which is likely contributing to the school's recent decline.

Compared to nearby schools, Start Elementary is a solid middle performer within its district. It is a much stronger option than Rayville Elementary School (4th percentile), but it is completely outperformed by Mangham Elementary School (78th percentile), which serves a similar student population just 12 miles away. Mangham's success proves that high performance is possible in Richland Parish, and Start Elementary would benefit from studying its practices. When looking beyond the district, Start holds its own against lower-performing schools in the City of Monroe School District, but it does not match the performance of better schools in Ouachita Parish, such as Swartz Upper Elementary School.

332

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,499

Per pupil spending ?

59.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

883 Charleston Street
Start, LA 71279

(318) 728-2074

District: Richland Parish

Racial breakdown:

White:

73.2%

African American:

22.0%

Two or more races:

1.8%

See top rated Louisiana elementary schools

Compare Start Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 52nd percentile in 2016 → 29th in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Louisiana average (53% vs 62% meeting standards)

!Ranking has slipped — down 23 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school53%

District avg51%

Louisiana avg62%

Elementary school

487^th of 690

Louisiana public elementary schools ?

Bottom 29%▼ down 23 pts since 2016

From top 48% (2016) to bottom 29% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

Middle school

250^th of 452

Louisiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 45%▲ up 4 pts since 2021

From bottom 41% (2021) to bottom 45% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 5Elementary Schools in the Richland Parish

83^rd of 116Richland 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)

Elementary school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	32.9	487 of 690	29.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	34.9	455 of 666	31.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	39.4	434 of 675	35.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	29.2	537 of 730	26.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	21.3	594 of 727	18.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	22.2	570 of 729	21.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	36.8	498 of 731	31.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.5	487 of 728	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	48.4	423 of 739	42.8%	★★☆☆☆
2016	57.8	354 of 742	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2015	64.5	293 of 792	63.0%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.7	291 of 777	62.5%	★★★☆☆
2013	64.0	294 of 772	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	63.3	306 of 764	59.9%	★★★☆☆
2011	68.4	272 of 766	64.5%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.4	237 of 736	67.8%	★★★☆☆
2009	66.7	264 of 738	64.2%	★★★☆☆
2008	71.0	215 of 743	71.1%	★★★★☆
2007	75.9	166 of 725	77.1%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	15.3	511 of 548	6.8%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	12.9	478 of 509	6.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	22.4	490 of 570	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	38.9	359 of 562	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	16.2	516 of 564	8.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	21.6	488 of 559	12.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	34.1	405 of 547	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	44.6	400 of 679	41.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	47.7	352 of 633	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	34.6	443 of 635	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	26.1	559 of 705	20.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	14.0	627 of 701	10.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.3	590 of 705	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	37.3	480 of 684	29.8%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	18.5	616 of 685	10.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.6	550 of 661	16.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	474 of 674	29.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	27.2	557 of 723	23.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.8	594 of 724	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	21.1	583 of 719	18.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.7	503 of 697	27.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.7	459 of 682	32.7%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	24.8	559 of 682	18.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	23.4	527 of 641	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.1	386 of 651	40.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	31.0	505 of 713	29.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.9	460 of 712	35.4%	★★☆☆☆
2021	24.3	545 of 704	22.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	35.4	501 of 696	28.0%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	25.9	420 of 496	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	25.0	371 of 431	13.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	27.5	373 of 434	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	23.9	441 of 518	14.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	494 of 517	4.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	12.1	488 of 522	6.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2019	45.1	327 of 517	36.8%	★★☆☆☆
2018	55.4	250 of 516	51.6%	★★★☆☆

Middle school ranking

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	49.0	250 of 452	44.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	263 of 447	41.2%	★★☆☆☆
2024	33.1	311 of 449	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	15.4	400 of 465	14.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	29.0	333 of 460	27.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.4	270 of 459	41.2%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	38.1	213 of 344	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	27.0	262 of 360	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	35.2	225 of 352	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	20.5	290 of 338	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	38.4	205 of 313	34.5%	★★☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	56.2	205 of 434	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2025	44.2	232 of 415	44.1%	★★☆☆☆
2024	25.0	333 of 415	19.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	16.1	387 of 444	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.1	335 of 441	24.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	31.9	311 of 441	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	46.7	236 of 418	43.5%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	41.5	275 of 450	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.7	246 of 437	43.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	35.4	293 of 444	34.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	21.2	373 of 459	18.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.0	328 of 458	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	41.6	260 of 455	42.9%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.3	297 of 430	30.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	31.8	303 of 403	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	42.4	267 of 435	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	45.0	228 of 414	44.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	50.3	212 of 426	50.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	16.7	372 of 443	16.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	28.1	324 of 442	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.7	324 of 442	26.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	40.1	258 of 418	38.3%	★★☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	39.7	221 of 338	34.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	24.3	271 of 316	14.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	13.2	305 of 320	4.7%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	3.2	349 of 352	0.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2022	10.7	336 of 362	7.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2021	27.2	288 of 358	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	74.9	74 of 350	78.9%	★★★★☆

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)

Elementary school

Female (2026)41st percentile+12 vs school

Male (2026)18th percentile-11 vs school

White (2026)15th percentile-14 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)10th percentile-19 vs school

African American (2026)7th percentile-23 vs school

Middle school

Female (2026)53rd percentile+8 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)39th percentile-6 vs school

Male (2026)39th percentile-6 vs school

African American (2026)38th percentile-7 vs school

White (2026)35th percentile-10 vs school

By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts66%-4 vs state

Mathematics47%-15 vs state

Social Studies46%-9 vs state

★

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Schools Near Start 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 6th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 8th 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 6th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 8th 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 6th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 7th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 8th Grade	LEAP Social Studies All Grades	Total
Start Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-8	883 Charleston Street	Start	71279	Richland Parish	Richland Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 728-2074	332	20	16.4	59.6%	243 (73.2%)	73 (22.0%)	5 (1.5%)	2 (0.6%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.8%)	32.9	487^th of 690 public elementary schools	29.4%		34.9	455^th of 666 public elementary schools	31.7%	32	48.0	54.0	42.0	56.0	38.0	47.0	58.0	66.0	55.0		78.0	76.0	66.0	29.0	55.0	40.0	48.0	48.0	58.0	46.0	$13,499
Rayville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	124 Learning Place Street	Rayville	71269	Richland Parish	Richland Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 728-2029	333	18	18.3	94.9%	14 (4.2%)	313 (94.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	5 (1.5%)	9.3	660^th of 690 public elementary schools	4.3%		6.1	649^th of 666 public elementary schools	2.6%	11	47.0	20.0	18.0				47.0	44.0					38.0		18.0						$13,877
Swartz Upper Elementary School	Public	3-5	400 Lincoln Hill Drive	Monroe	71203	Ouachita Parish	Ouachita Parish	No	No	No	No	(318) 343-1723	350	20	17.6	66.3%	147 (42.0%)	164 (46.9%)	17 (4.9%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (6.0%)	54.6	334^th of 690 public elementary schools	51.6%		43.4	398^th of 666 public elementary schools	40.2%	64	61.0	63.0	52.0			57.0	61.0	82.0					73.0	53.0	71.0	42.0				54.0	$13,673
Swartz Lower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-2	235 Swartz School Rd	Monroe	71203	Ouachita Parish	Ouachita Parish	No	No	No	No	(318) 343-8883	325	26	12.5	65.2%	157 (48.3%)	141 (43.4%)	9 (2.8%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	14 (4.3%)								(n/a)																					$14,902
Cypress Point Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	6701 Mosswood Drive	Monroe	71203	Ouachita Parish	City of Monroe School District	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 345-5666	431	37	11.7	89.8%	21 (4.9%)	387 (89.8%)	15 (3.5%)	5 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)	43.9	410^th of 690 public elementary schools	40.6%		26.9	513^th of 666 public elementary schools	23.0%	103	57.0	61.0	50.0	71.0		60.0	59.0	64.0	65.0	78.0			66.0	50.0	32.0	50.0	41.0			43.0	$15,898
Lakeshore School	Public	PK, KG-5	550 Balboa Street	Monroe	71203	Ouachita Parish	Ouachita Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 343-1173	532	33	16.0	75.6%	131 (24.6%)	352 (66.2%)	31 (5.8%)	4 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	12 (2.3%)	30.1	509^th of 690 public elementary schools	26.2%		21.5	557^th of 666 public elementary schools	16.4%	48	33.0	59.0	31.0			40.0	54.0	67.0	62.0				61.0		53.0	38.0				37.0	$14,043
Roy Neal Shelling Senior Elementary	Public	PK, KG-6	4200 Elm Street	Monroe	71203	Ouachita Parish	City of Monroe School District	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 322-9533	391	30	12.8	95.7%	10 (2.6%)	374 (95.7%)	1 (0.3%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.8%)	9.1	662^nd of 690 public elementary schools	4.1%		8.8	639^th of 666 public elementary schools	4.1%	23	22.0	37.0	26.0			22.0		41.0	65.0	51.0			41.0	18.0	16.0	23.0	13.0			16.0	$16,026
Mangham Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	419 Hixon St.	Mangham	71259	Richland Parish	Richland Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 248-2575	404	24	16.9	63.9%	286 (70.8%)	107 (26.5%)	7 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (1.0%)	78	152^nd of 690 public elementary schools	78.0%		67.4	239^th of 666 public elementary schools	64.1%	87	77.0	65.0				72.0		80.0	86.0				85.0	76.0	65.0	71.0				70.0	$14,277
Shady Grove Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2204 Ticheli Road	Monroe	71202	Ouachita Parish	Ouachita Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 323-9941	195	17	11.3	94.4%	0 (0.0%)	188 (96.4%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (2.1%)	16.9	619^th of 690 public elementary schools	10.3%		13.5	612^th of 666 public elementary schools	8.1%	7	52.0	46.0	30.0			42.0	55.0	50.0	40.0				49.0		25.0					20.0	$20,225
Jack Hayes Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3631 Old Sterlington Road	Monroe	71203	Ouachita Parish	Ouachita Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(318) 343-4560	501	33	15.2	81.4%	22 (4.4%)	443 (88.4%)	9 (1.8%)	14 (2.8%)	5 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (1.6%)	26.7	543^rd of 690 public elementary schools	21.3%		31.1	481^st of 666 public elementary schools	27.8%	62	34.0	42.0				35.0	47.0	66.0	65.0				58.0	31.0	58.0	32.0				40.0	$13,608

Frequently Asked Questions about Start Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Start Elementary School?

Students at Start Elementary School are 73% White, 22% African American, 2% Two or more races, 2% Hispanic.

How many students attend Start Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 332 students attended Start Elementary School.

What district is Start Elementary School in?

Richland Parish

Is Start Elementary School a good school?

Start Elementary School ranks 487^th of 690 Louisiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

Rate Start 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.