The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in English language arts. The lowest is 8% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Southern Hills Elementary School
Southern Hills Elementary School serves a pre-K through fifth-grade population in Shreveport, within the Caddo Parish school system. The school is a regular public school and its role in the community is as the neighborhood elementary option for families living in the southern part of the city.
The student body at Southern Hills is large for an elementary school, drawing a substantial number of children from its attendance zone. A large share of students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a marker of low household income that places the school in a high-poverty context. Racially, the student body, by the numbers reported, is predominantly Black, with a small group of Hispanic students and a very small number of white students and students of two or more races.
State testing data for the 2024-25 school year shows that proficiency rates across all tested subjects were low. On the LEAP 2025 assessments, the share of students scoring at the proficient level and above was in the teens for English language arts and science, and lower for math and social studies. A parent examining these results will see that a clear majority of students did not reach the proficiency benchmark, and the low figure in social studies—given a noted shift in the cut scores for that subject’s assessment—warrants a closer conversation with the school about how they track progress in that area. Only one year of this testing data was available in this analysis, so there is no trend to examine for improvement or decline.
Because this is an elementary school, there is no graduation rate to report and no data on college-going or advanced coursework. The school’s role is foundational, and the test results offer a baseline picture of where students stand as they move through the early grades.
The school is located on Kingston Road in an area of Shreveport that is largely residential and auto-oriented. The city of Shreveport itself has been losing population steadily for years, a fact tied to broader economic shifts including the loss of oil-industry jobs and the closure of a major General Motors plant. Housing in Shreveport is relatively affordable. The typical home value in the area is below the national midpoint, and rents are modest relative to incomes. The median household income in the city is low, and a notable portion of residents live in poverty. The city has a diversified economy anchored by Barksdale Air Force Base, a growing healthcare sector, and logistics operations including an Amazon fulfillment center, but overall economic conditions remain challenging for many families.
The district-level picture from Caddo Parish, provided in publicly available materials, did not turn up recent changes to school policy, curriculum, or spending that would affect day-to-day life at Southern Hills. This means a parent considering the school should connect directly with the school administration for the most current picture of programs, support services, and any new initiatives.
For a family deciding on Southern Hills, the picture is straightforward. The school serves a population with serious economic needs, and its state assessment results suggest that a large portion of students are not yet meeting grade-level academic benchmarks. A parent whose child requires robust academic support may want to investigate what interventions and enrichment are in place, and how those are funded. A family moving to this part of Shreveport and looking for a neighborhood school will find an elementary campus that reflects the wider challenges of the city it serves.
See more original research from School Decision →