The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in English language arts. The lowest is 6% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on J. S. Clark Elementary School
J. S. Clark Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Shreveport, Louisiana, as part of the Caddo Parish school district. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet school. The school enrolls a substantial number of students for an elementary building, and the vast majority of the student body is Black, with a very small share of white students and a similarly small share of students who identify as two or more races. A large portion of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator that this school serves a community where many families face economic stress.
State testing results for the most recent school year are available for grades three through five across four subjects. In English language arts, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above was modest. In math, the share was similarly modest. Science and social studies results were lower still, with very small shares of students reaching proficiency. These are numbers a parent or resident should take as a signal that, as measured by the state’s LEAP 2025 assessment, a large majority of Clark students are performing below the proficient benchmark. Since the data covers only a single year, there is no trend to examine — this snapshot is all that is available.
The school’s location is in Shreveport, the third-largest city in Louisiana and the anchor of the Ark-La-Tex region. Shreveport has a complex economic history. It was once a major oil-industry hub, home to Standard Oil of Louisiana and United Gas Corporation, and later hosted a General Motors assembly plant. The loss of those jobs, combined with broader economic shifts, has contributed to a sustained population decline, with the city shrinking over several census counts. Today Shreveport is working to diversify into healthcare, logistics, gaming, and technology, and is part of the I-20 Cyber Corridor. Major employers include Barksdale Air Force Base, Amazon, and a range of financial and healthcare institutions. The city is sprawling and car-dependent, with a central business district downtown and several historic neighborhoods, but much of the city has a suburban feel without strong pedestrian infrastructure.
Housing in the area is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks. The median home value in the zip code area is low, and the median gross rent is also low, reflecting the broader economic conditions of the city. The rent-to-income ratio suggests that housing costs consume a moderate share of household income for those who rent.
We looked for information about specific programs at J. S. Clark Elementary — such as art, music, foreign language, or after-school offerings — but none was provided in the data, so we cannot speak to enrichment opportunities. Likewise, data on special education classification rates, English learner status, chronic absenteeism, and staffing were not available. A parent who wants a fuller picture of these aspects of school life should inquire directly at the school.
There were no recent district-level changes, such as boundary adjustments, new leadership, or bond measures, returned by the research. The Caddo Parish district itself, which covers both Shreveport and the broader parish, did not produce notable policy or funding updates in the available search results.
This is a school where the academic numbers are a clear concern for any family looking for strong test performance. The student body is predominantly economically disadvantaged, and the school sits in a city that has been working through decades of economic transition. A parent considering J. S. Clark should seek out information about classroom instruction, intervention supports, and school climate directly from the school and from current families, as the available data leaves important questions unanswered.
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