The top reported proficiency rate is 25% in English language arts. The lowest is 13% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Kipp East
KIPP East is a charter school serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade in New Orleans, classified as a regular public school. It is part of the KIPP East Community Primary district. The school sits in a dense urban setting, one of many post-Katrina charter schools that now shape the city’s education landscape.
Enrollment is large for a PK-8 building, with roughly a hundred students in each grade from kindergarten through eighth grade and a smaller pre-kindergarten cohort. The student body is predominantly Black, with a much smaller Hispanic cohort and very few white or Asian students. A very high share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a high-poverty context. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
State testing results for grades three through eight are available in math, English language arts, science, and social studies. Across all four subjects, the share of students scoring at the proficient level is low. English language arts is the strongest subject, with about a quarter of students meeting the state benchmark. Social studies is somewhat lower, and both math and science show weaker results, with roughly one in seven students reaching proficiency. Participation rates on the tests were very high, so the results reflect nearly the entire tested population. No multi-year trend data was available to show whether these numbers are improving or declining.
KIPP East’s overall proficiency across tested subjects and grades places it in the bottom quarter when compared to other districts in Orleans Parish that had comparable data. That comparison set is small, so the ranking should be interpreted with some caution, but the picture is clearly one of low academic attainment on state measures. Because the school ends at eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report.
The school’s location within New Orleans means families are part of a large, historic city with a distinctive economy built around the port, tourism, hospitality, and film production. The local housing market in the school’s ZIP code shows home values that are moderate relative to national and state benchmarks, and rents are similarly moderate. The city has experienced a complex recovery from Hurricane Katrina, with population shifts and ongoing redevelopment that vary by neighborhood. The district itself reported no recent changes with lasting parent relevance.
For a family considering KIPP East, the core takeaway is a large, high-poverty charter school in New Orleans with very low state test scores and a student body that is almost entirely Black and Hispanic. The school offers a full PK-8 pathway, so a family would need to plan for a high school transition after eighth grade. A parent concerned about academic performance may want to investigate what interventions or supports the school provides, given the proficiency data, and whether those align with their child’s needs. The school’s charter status means it operates with some autonomy from the traditional Orleans Parish school system, which can be either an advantage or a consideration depending on a family’s preferences.
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