The top reported proficiency rate is 11% in English language arts. The lowest is 1% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Bethune/oak Park Elementary
Bethune/Oak Park Elementary serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in the Shreveport neighborhood that gives the school its name. It is a regular public school within the Caddo Parish school system, located on Henry Street in the western part of the city. The school enrolls a large number of students for an elementary campus, with a student body that is overwhelmingly Black, a very small share of Hispanic students, and an even smaller presence of white and multiracial students. A substantial majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, placing the school in a high-poverty context.
State assessment results from Louisiana’s LEAP 2025 tests show that overall proficiency across all tested grades and subjects is very low. In English language arts, roughly one in nine students scored at the proficient or above level. In math, the share was lower still. Science and social studies results were even more limited, with only a tiny fraction of students meeting the proficient bar. The school participated fully, with near-universal test participation. These are the only assessment data available, covering a single school year, so there is no multiyear trend to compare. For a family considering this school, the academic performance figures would likely be a primary concern; a parent may want to discuss directly with the school what interventions or supports are in place and how the school is working to raise achievement.
Data on students receiving special education services or English learner support were not reported, so it is not possible to describe those populations or how the school serves them. The school environment section—covering discipline, staffing, and attendance—also had no available information, leaving those dimensions uncharacterized.
The school sits in Shreveport, the third-most populous city in Louisiana and the anchor of the Ark-La-Tex region. The city has a mix of historic neighborhoods, commercial corridors, and riverfront development, but it has experienced a steady population decline over recent decades as oil-industry and manufacturing jobs have diminished. Home values in the school’s ZIP code are well below both state and national medians, reflecting the area’s affordability and also its economic challenges. Rents are similarly low relative to broader benchmarks. The median household income in Shreveport is below the national figure, and a notable share of residents live below the poverty line. The largest employer in the metro area is Barksdale Air Force Base, with healthcare and logistics also significant. The city is pursuing economic diversification through initiatives like the I-20 Cyber Corridor, but the local housing market and income levels suggest a community under financial stress.
Caddo Parish Public Schools, the district that operates Bethune/Oak Park Elementary, did not have any major recent policy changes, referendums, or curricular shifts surfaced in publicly available records, so this narrative cannot speak to district-level developments that might affect the school.
For a parent or resident, Bethune/Oak Park Elementary presents as a school serving a high-poverty, predominantly Black student population in a city that has struggled economically. The academic results are markedly low across every tested subject. Families who are weighing this school would want to investigate what academic support programs, after-school offerings, or community partnerships exist to supplement classroom learning. The school’s size suggests it can offer a full range of elementary grades in one building, and the pre-kindergarten program may be a draw for families with young children needing early childhood education. But the test data raise serious questions about the current academic trajectory. Given the absence of district-wide changes and limited school-level data on staffing or programs, the most useful next step would be a direct conversation with the school principal or a visit to the campus to understand the learning environment firsthand.
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