The top reported proficiency rate is 16% in Math. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Williams Scholar Academy
Williams Scholar Academy, also known as Excelsior College Preparatory Academy, opened as a tuition-free public charter school in Abbeville, Louisiana, for the 2021-2022 school year, serving grades six through eight before the data we reviewed. It was a Type 2 charter approved by the state. Located in Vermilion Parish, Abbeville itself is the parish seat, an agricultural trade and processing center with a strong Cajun cultural identity, a historic downtown organized around Magdalen Square, and a population that has been declining modestly in recent years. The area’s economy is anchored by agricultural processing, oil and natural gas field services, and manufacturing.
The story of this school is a short one. According to publicly reported information, the school relinquished its charter and closed effective in February 2023, less than two full school years after it opened. The closure followed the Louisiana Department of Education’s move to revoke the charter, and the school’s own decision to relinquish it. Publicly reported accounts state that about 70 students were displaced and transferred to their zoned public schools in Abbeville and New Iberia. The school’s lifecycle status in the available data confirms it is closed.
Because this school’s operational life was brief and ended before the most recent typical data collection cycles, many standard metrics are missing. We looked for enrollment and student demographics, including race, ethnicity, free or reduced-price lunch eligibility, and special populations; these fields were not available. State testing data from Louisiana’s LEAP 2025 assessments exists for the 2021-2022 school year, the only full year the school was open. A graduation rate is not applicable, as the school served only middle-grade levels and did not have a graduating cohort. The school’s charter status is recorded, but Title I status was not provided.
The state assessment results that are available offer a mixed picture, drawn from small testing groups. In sixth-grade math, students scoring proficient or above was reported at roughly one-fifth. Seventh-grade math was reported within a range. Eighth-grade math was reported at a lower share. Results in English language arts varied by grade level, with sixth and eighth grade results in ranges that included several students scoring proficient or above, while seventh grade had a smaller share. Science results were low across the tested grades. Social studies results were also low, with a single grade showing a slightly higher share. A parent looking at these results would see a school where academic performance was uneven and generally below state averages, though the small total number of students tested means single-year results can fluctuate considerably. Participation rates for the assessments were listed as missing, which often reflects the nature of a new and soon-to-close school, so a reader should not assume a red flag from that gap.
The school was a charter school operated by its own district, Williams Scholar Academy Inc. For the short time it existed, it provided a public charter option in a parish served by the larger Vermilion Parish School District. Given its closure, there is no current academic pathway, peer environment, or student support system to evaluate. Families in Abbeville and surrounding areas who seek a charter school option will need to look elsewhere. The school no longer exists, and the data reflects an institution that ended its operations abruptly, leaving a brief operational record.
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