Original Research by School Decision on Martin Behrman Elementary School
Martin Behrman Elementary School in Orleans Parish serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade. The enrollment is substantial for a school that caps at middle school, with students spread fairly evenly across the grades. The student body is nearly entirely Black, with very small numbers of Asian, Hispanic, and white students enrolled. Information on how many students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, receive special education services, or are learning English was not available from the school’s data records. A parent may want to ask the school directly about these support structures and the share of students who come from low-income households.
The school is a single-school charter district, which means it operates with a degree of autonomy from the larger Orleans Parish school system while still being a public school. The district brief, based on publicly reported information, notes that no recent changes of lasting impact for families were found. The school itself goes by Martin Behrman Charter Academy of Creative Arts & Sciences, signaling a focus that may shape the academic experience beyond a standard curriculum.
A full picture of academic performance is not available from state testing data for this school; no proficiency rates were reported in the data provided, and the comparison set among Orleans Parish’s districts could not place it on overall proficiency or graduation rate. Because the school serves through eighth grade only, there is no graduation rate to consider. On the measures that are available, the chronic absenteeism rate sits above the midpoint among the parish’s districts. That is a soft spot a parent may want to explore further with the school, as high absenteeism can affect classroom pace and student continuity. Per-pupil current spending falls in the lower range compared to other districts in Orleans Parish.
Without test results or program details, the academic pathway here is not clearly visible from the numbers. The school’s charter designation and arts-and-sciences name suggest a particular emphasis, but what that looks like day to day—whether it means dedicated arts instruction, project-based learning, or something else—was not captured in the data. A visitor to the school’s website or a conversation with the principal would likely fill in this gap.
The peer environment is shaped by the student body’s demographics. The surrounding community context for the school’s location was not available, so housing values, local growth patterns, and the character of the neighborhood are not described here. Families considering Martin Behrman would benefit from spending time in the area, speaking with current parents, and asking the school for specifics on how the creative arts and sciences focus operates in practice. The absenteeism rate and the absence of financial and special-population data are worth raising directly with the school to understand what supports are in place and how the school addresses attendance challenges.
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