Akili Academy of New Orleans, New Orleans LA

Original Research by School Decision on Akili Academy of New Orleans

Akili Academy of New Orleans was a regular charter school serving middle grades in the city of New Orleans. The school is now closed. Its operations were merged with a nearby charter school as of mid-2023, with the combined school moving to a different campus. For a parent or resident researching this school, the most important fact is that it no longer operates as a standalone entity.

During its final academic year on record, the school administered Louisiana’s state assessments in grades three through eight. The results showed that a small share of students scored at the proficient level in math, English language arts, science, and social studies. In math, the share was in the single digits across all tested grades. In English language arts, proficiency was somewhat higher, reaching about a quarter of students in the upper elementary grades, but remained very low in the middle grades. Science and social studies results followed a similar pattern, with most students not reaching the proficient threshold. A parent would want to look into the academic support and instructional context further, especially given how far these scores sit from typical state averages.

The school was located in New Orleans, a dense, historic city-parish that functions as a major port and commercial hub for the Gulf Coast region. The city is known for its distinctive music, Creole cuisine, and annual festivals, particularly Mardi Gras. The built environment is a mix of dense neighborhoods, the French Quarter with its French and Spanish Creole architecture, and separated campus areas such as Uptown and the University area. Major employers include the port and maritime industries, tourism and hospitality, the film industry, and Tulane University. The city operates a consolidated city-parish government. New Orleans was severely affected by Hurricane Katrina, which flooded much of the city and caused a large population decline; recovery and redevelopment have since led to a population rebound, though concerns about gentrification and displacement have been expressed.

The housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows home values that are near the statewide typical level but have seen a noticeable decline over the past year. Rents have also edged down slightly. Nationally, home values are generally higher than what is seen in this area. The economic context includes a modest national unemployment rate and a mortgage rate that has fluctuated in recent months.

The district-level records for Akili Academy are sparse. The school was its own district, listed under the same name. No enrollment totals, demographic breakdown, or special population counts were available. No information on programs, course access, discipline, or staffing was provided. The school did not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report.

Given that the school is closed and its students and programs have shifted to another campus, a family looking at this area today would want to investigate the current operating charter school that resulted from the merger, as well as the broader landscape of New Orleans’ school options, which include many other charter schools with varying academic profiles. The low proficiency scores from Akili’s final years may not reflect the current school’s performance, but they do characterize the academic challenge the student body faced. Anyone considering this neighborhood should look into the successor school directly.

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Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 39%

School 9% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 410%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 18 pts below state median

Grade 67%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median

English language arts

Grade 318%

School 18% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 425%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median

Grade 610%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 16 pts below state median

Grade 719%

School 19% · district not reported

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 825%

School 25% · district not reported

▼ 2 pts below state median

Science

Grade 37%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 8 pts below state median

Grade 411%

School 11% · district not reported

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 56%

School 6% · district not reported

▼ 17 pts below state median

Grade 67%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 14 pts below state median

Grade 710%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 12 pts below state median

Grade 810%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 5 pts below state median

Social studies

Grade 414%

School 14% · district not reported

▼ 6 pts below state median

Grade 510%

School 10% · district not reported

▼ 13 pts below state median

Grade 67%

School 7% · district not reported

▼ 9 pts below state median

Grade 79%

School 9% · district not reported

▼ 15 pts below state median

Grade 819%

School 19% · district not reported

▲ 4 pts above state median

This schoolDistrict average, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.

Proficiency by household income

English language arts

Grade 4Lower-income24%Higher-income50%27 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income0%Higher-income25%25 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income11%Higher-income0%11 pp gap

Grade 7Lower-income20%Higher-income0%20 pp gap

Grade 8Lower-income26%Higher-income0%26 pp gap

Mathematics

Grade 4Lower-income10%Higher-income0%10 pp gap

Grade 5Lower-income0%Higher-income0%0 pp gap

Grade 6Lower-income7%Higher-income0%7 pp gap