The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in Math. The lowest is 5% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Dalton Elementary School a Redesign School
Dalton Elementary School A Redesign School is a public charter school in Baton Rouge serving pre-kindergarten through seventh grade. It operates as its own school district under the name Dalton Charter School, a structure that gives it independent governance separate from the East Baton Rouge Parish school system. The school serves a small student body drawn from the local neighborhood, and the overwhelming majority of students come from low-income households, as measured by eligibility for free or reduced-price meals.
The school's academic results on Louisiana's LEAP 2025 assessments are low across all tested subjects. In math, a modest share of students reached the proficient level; in English language arts, the share was smaller. Performance in science and social studies was even lower. Compared with other districts in East Baton Rouge Parish, the school's overall proficiency index places it in the bottom quarter. State testing data was available for grades three through seven; the school serves PK through seventh grade, so results reflect the tested grades only. The school has no high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.
The student body is almost entirely Black, a composition that reflects the demographics of the immediate area. Information on the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available in the data reviewed, and a parent may want to ask the school directly about the supports available for these populations.
The school building sits in a part of Baton Rouge where housing values are well below the national and state medians and have been declining. Rents also trend lower and have dropped somewhat in the recent period. This economic context shows that the surrounding community faces significant financial pressures, and the school’s high rate of economic disadvantage among its families fits that picture. Baton Rouge itself is Louisiana’s state capital, a large city with a major university, a petrochemical and industrial economy, and a range of neighborhoods from walkable historic districts to sprawling auto-oriented suburbia. The school’s address is in a residential area of the city, not downtown or near the LSU campus.
As a charter school, Dalton Elementary falls outside the traditional district assignment system, so enrollment is typically by choice or application, though the details of its admissions process are not specified in the data. The school operates under a “redesign” label, which in Louisiana often indicates a school that has been restructured following a period of low performance, though the specific redesign plan in place here is not detailed in the available information. The district’s recent history shows little change of lasting impact, based on publicly reported sources.
For a family considering this school, the picture is straightforward. The academic achievement levels are low, and the school is positioned among the weakest in the parish on state tests. The student body is small, very high–poverty, and racially homogeneous. The school offers no high school grades, so students would need to transition to another school after seventh grade. The local housing market is depressed, and the neighborhood’s economic hardship is reflected in the school’s demographic profile. A parent evaluating this school would likely want to visit, learn about any recent instructional changes under the redesign, and understand what academic supports are in place, especially given that the tested outcomes suggest many students are not yet meeting grade-level expectations.
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