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Emily C. Watkins Elementary

Public Grades PK, KG-8
492nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 699 Louisiana Elementary Schools
Better than 30% of Louisiana elementary schools
Summary

Emily C. Watkins Elementary in La Place, LA, serves 551 students from Pre-K through 8th grade within the St. John the Baptist Parish school district, a community where over 80% of students come from low socio-economic backgrounds.

This school presents a fascinating mix of strengths and challenges. Its most notable feature is a remarkable "middle school bounce" in grades 6-8, where students dramatically outperform their younger peers. For example, 6th grade math proficiency jumps to 66% (near the state average) and 7th grade math reaches 72% (7 points above the state), while 3rd grade math languishes at just 34% (28 points below the state). This suggests the middle school program is exceptionally effective, while early elementary instruction needs significant improvement. English Language Arts is a relative bright spot overall, with 62% proficiency, but math (52%) and social studies (45%) lag behind state averages. The school also struggles with chronic absenteeism at 19.5%, which is more than double the rate at the nearby high-performing John L. Ory Communications Magnet Elementary (8.2%), a 4-star school just a mile away.

Perhaps the most significant concern is how the school serves its most vulnerable students. Watkins ranks in the bottom 10th percentile statewide for both special education students and English Language Learners, indicating these groups are not receiving adequate support. Even white students, who typically perform well statewide, rank in the 25th percentile here. While the school's overall 2-star rating places it in the lower-middle tier of Louisiana elementary schools, the exceptional middle school performance offers a clear blueprint for improvement. Replicating that success in the early grades and implementing targeted interventions for struggling subgroups would be key priorities for any parent considering this school.

551
Students ?
12.1
Student/teacher ratio ?
$19,484
Per pupil spending ?
80.6%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 938 LA Highway 628
       La Place, LA  70068

(985) 652-1593

District: St. John the Baptist Parish


Students who attend Emily C. Watkins Elementary usually attend:

High:    East St. John High School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
56.3%
Hispanic:
24.7%
White:
14.3%
more
 See top rated Louisiana elementary schools

 Compare Emily C. Watkins Elementary to nearby elementary schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 38th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026
Worth a look
!Test scores below the Louisiana average (51% vs 62% meeting standards)
!Ranking has slipped — down 8 percentile points since 2016
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school51%
District avg53%
Louisiana avg62%
Elementary school
492nd of 699
Louisiana public elementary schools ?
Bottom 30%▼ down 8 pts since 2016
From bottom 38% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Elementary Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
Middle school
223rd of 464
Louisiana public middle schools ?
Top 48%▲ up 24 pts since 2016
From bottom 28% (2016) to top 48% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
5th of 7Elementary Schools in the St. John the Baptist Parish
57th of 119St. John the Baptist 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

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202631.2492 of 69929.6%★☆☆☆☆
202538.9423 of 66636.5%★★☆☆☆
202424.2535 of 67520.7%★☆☆☆☆
202332.6511 of 73030.0%★★☆☆☆
202240.3448 of 72738.4%★★☆☆☆
202123.9553 of 72924.1%★☆☆☆☆
201938.7482 of 73134.1%★★☆☆☆
201838.5433 of 72840.5%★★☆☆☆
201754.3390 of 73947.2%★★☆☆☆
201643.8463 of 74237.6%★★☆☆☆
201563.0308 of 79261.1%★★★☆☆
201440.1505 of 77735.0%★★☆☆☆
201332.4576 of 77225.4%★☆☆☆☆
201238.1509 of 76433.4%★★☆☆☆
201143.8475 of 76638.0%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202638.6349 of 55637.2%★★☆☆☆
202549.8249 of 50150.3%★★★☆☆
202438.2320 of 50937.1%★★☆☆☆
202351.0271 of 57052.5%★★★☆☆
202253.4241 of 56257.1%★★★☆☆
202128.6419 of 56425.7%★☆☆☆☆
201946.7311 of 55944.4%★★☆☆☆
201859.8194 of 54764.5%★★★☆☆

English Language Learner

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202620.8112 of 12711.8%★☆☆☆☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202634.2473 of 68831.3%★★☆☆☆
202536.8432 of 63331.8%★★☆☆☆
202429.0483 of 63523.9%★☆☆☆☆
202337.0469 of 70533.5%★★☆☆☆
202251.8362 of 70148.4%★★☆☆☆
202128.0517 of 70526.7%★☆☆☆☆
201949.2382 of 68444.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202632.4205 of 27324.9%★☆☆☆☆
202543.4121 of 20741.5%★★☆☆☆
202419.7164 of 18913.2%★☆☆☆☆
202336.0166 of 23328.8%★☆☆☆☆
202275.449 of 22077.7%★★★★☆
201939.9121 of 19036.3%★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202637.1452 of 69334.8%★★☆☆☆
202547.9367 of 66144.5%★★☆☆☆
202424.8545 of 67419.1%★☆☆☆☆
202331.5527 of 72327.1%★☆☆☆☆
202249.3382 of 72447.2%★★☆☆☆
202124.6553 of 71923.1%★☆☆☆☆
201937.4483 of 69730.7%★★☆☆☆
201856.1322 of 68252.8%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202629.3510 of 69026.1%★☆☆☆☆
202543.4388 of 64139.5%★★☆☆☆
202419.3553 of 65115.1%★☆☆☆☆
202330.4513 of 71328.1%★☆☆☆☆
202238.1452 of 71236.5%★★☆☆☆
202117.0600 of 70414.8%★☆☆☆☆
201930.0525 of 69624.6%★☆☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202620.6342 of 40716.0%★☆☆☆☆
202118.5275 of 30610.1%★☆☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202632.5383 of 50223.7%★☆☆☆☆
201931.6410 of 51720.7%★☆☆☆☆
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202651.7223 of 46451.9%★★★☆☆
202541.3273 of 44738.9%★★☆☆☆
202448.2247 of 44945.0%★★☆☆☆
202345.6252 of 46545.8%★★☆☆☆
202250.4235 of 46048.9%★★☆☆☆
202138.1289 of 45937.0%★★☆☆☆
201950.3238 of 44947.0%★★☆☆☆
201835.1268 of 41134.8%★★☆☆☆
201747.9255 of 43741.6%★★☆☆☆
201635.0313 of 43528.0%★☆☆☆☆
201558.1206 of 48257.3%★★★☆☆
201456.3208 of 47055.7%★★★☆☆
201361.3177 of 45761.3%★★★☆☆
201260.3185 of 44258.1%★★★☆☆
201166.4144 of 41265.0%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202660.5116 of 36268.0%★★★☆☆
202560.1117 of 34466.0%★★★☆☆
202465.3104 of 33368.8%★★★☆☆
202362.1106 of 36070.6%★★★★☆
202259.2121 of 36066.4%★★★☆☆
202156.6130 of 35263.1%★★★☆☆
201970.581 of 33876.0%★★★★☆
201867.878 of 31375.1%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202654.1206 of 45054.2%★★★☆☆
202561.4162 of 41561.0%★★★☆☆
202458.2182 of 41556.1%★★★☆☆
202354.7214 of 44451.8%★★★☆☆
202252.2214 of 44151.5%★★★☆☆
202145.2254 of 44142.4%★★☆☆☆
201949.8225 of 41846.2%★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202666.151 of 18672.6%★★★★☆
202356.067 of 16358.9%★★★☆☆
202275.730 of 16381.6%★★★★☆
201963.644 of 12865.6%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202659.0169 of 45863.1%★★★☆☆
202548.5227 of 43748.1%★★☆☆☆
202447.9234 of 44447.3%★★☆☆☆
202350.8218 of 45952.5%★★★☆☆
202258.6181 of 45860.5%★★★☆☆
202144.7246 of 45545.9%★★☆☆☆
201952.3209 of 43051.4%★★★☆☆
201855.1190 of 40352.9%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202648.5232 of 44648.0%★★☆☆☆
202539.2258 of 41437.7%★★☆☆☆
202439.2266 of 42637.6%★★☆☆☆
202338.6270 of 44339.1%★★☆☆☆
202246.4235 of 44246.8%★★☆☆☆
202131.7309 of 44230.1%★★☆☆☆
201949.3215 of 41848.6%★★☆☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
20199.1336 of 3504.0%☆☆☆☆☆
201824.9280 of 33817.2%★☆☆☆☆
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
African American (2026)37th percentile+8 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)35th percentile+5 vs school
Female (2026)31st percentile~ school
Male (2026)26th percentile-4 vs school
Hispanic (2026)25th percentile-5 vs school
White (2026)24th percentile-6 vs school
Special Education (2026)16th percentile-14 vs school
English Language Learner (2026)12th percentile-18 vs school
Middle school
Hispanic (2026)73rd percentile+21 vs school
African American (2026)68th percentile+16 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)63rd percentile+11 vs school
Female (2026)54th percentile~ school
Male (2026)48th percentile-4 vs school
White (2019)4th percentile-43 vs school
By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts62%-8 vs state
Mathematics52%-10 vs state
Science45%-14 vs state
Social Studies45%-10 vs state

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Frequently Asked Questions about Emily C. Watkins Elementary

Emily C. Watkins Elementary ranks 492nd of 699 Louisiana elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 1 star out of 5.

In the 2024-25 school year, 551 students attended Emily C. Watkins Elementary.

Students who attend Emily C. Watkins Elementary usually go on to attend:

High : East St. John High School

Students at Emily C. Watkins Elementary are 56% African American, 25% Hispanic, 14% White, 3% Two or more races, 1% Pacific Islander.

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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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