Summary:
The six elementary schools in the 70003 zip code of Metairie, Louisiana, all part of the Jefferson Parish school district, serve grades from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th or 8th grade and present a starkly divided academic landscape, ranging from a nationally top-ranked magnet school to several schools struggling to meet state averages.
Airline Park Academy for Advanced Studies is the clear standout, earning a 5-star rating and ranking #1 in Louisiana for the 2024-2025 school year with near-perfect test scores and an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 2.1%. In contrast, Bissonet Plaza School and Green Park Elementary School are the lowest performers, both ranking in the bottom 25th percentile statewide. Rudolph Matas School and Ralph J. Bunche Elementary sit in the middle, achieving above-average proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts compared to the district, despite having high free/reduced lunch rates. Harold Keller Elementary School falls slightly below the middle, ranking in the 42nd percentile.
A key takeaway is that performance is not solely tied to poverty levels. While Airline Park benefits from a low free/reduced lunch rate of 21.43%, schools like Rudolph Matas and Ralph J. Bunche achieve stronger test scores than Bissonet Plaza and Green Park despite similar socioeconomic challenges. However, chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with Ralph J. Bunche reporting a rate of 24.2%—above the state average—which likely undermines long-term student success. Additionally, Green Park’s sharp one-year ranking drop from the 36th to the 25th percentile warrants attention, while Bissonet Plaza’s stagnant low scores highlight ongoing struggles. Overall, families in this zip code face a choice between a top-tier magnet program and a group of schools with varying performance, where school-level leadership and attendance patterns play critical roles.
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