The top reported proficiency rate is 52% in English language arts. The lowest is 31% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Dolby Elementary School
Dolby Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Lake Charles, a mid-sized industrial and cultural hub in southwest Louisiana. The school is part of the Calcasieu Parish school district and sits on Jefferson Drive in a residential area of the city. Its enrollment is evenly balanced between Black and white students, each group making up a substantial share of the student body, with a smaller proportion identifying as Hispanic or as two or more races. More than half of the students at Dolby qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker that the school serves a population with significant economic need.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, Dolby’s results show a clear pattern. In English language arts, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above, which is the strongest subject showing for the school. Math proficiency was lower, with about a third of students meeting that bar. Science and social studies trailed further, with roughly a third and just over a third of students respectively reaching proficiency. The school’s overall proficiency across tested subjects, when combined into a single index, places it above the midpoint among the handful of districts in Calcasieu Parish for which comparison data is available. That relative position is a notable contextual point, though the cohort of comparable districts is small and the difference between the top and bottom is modest. A single year of testing data is available, so no trend direction can be assessed.
Dolby is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and it does not serve grades that produce a graduation rate. State testing data reflects the school’s tested grades, and participation rates were complete, meaning nearly every enrolled student took the assessments. The school environment and access data, including discipline rates, course access, and staffing ratios, were not available in the provided information. Similarly, information on special education identification or English learner programming was not reported.
The district that operates Dolby, Calcasieu Parish, has undergone notable changes in recent years. Voters renewed two property tax millages in 2024 that fund teacher salaries and school operations, maintaining the current rate without an increase but securing ongoing revenue. The district has also implemented a districtwide literacy initiative emphasizing structured literacy and reading intervention, an effort that received a recognition at the state school boards association conference. After Hurricanes Laura and Delta devastated parts of Lake Charles in 2020, the school board passed a budget that was far larger than typical, driven by FEMA reimbursement and rebuilding funds, and used that money to rebuild or renovate multiple school facilities across the parish. These investments in infrastructure and pedagogy are relevant for families considering Dolby Elementary because they point to a district that has stabilized its funding and committed to rebuilding after disaster.
The school itself sits in a Lake Charles neighborhood that is part of a city shaped by heavy industry, casino tourism, and higher education. The city’s population declined in the years following the hurricanes, but downtown and lakefront redevelopment remain active priorities for local government. Dolby Elementary’s academic profile shows a school where reading outcomes are the strongest measure and where math and science proficiency is weaker. A parent considering this school might want to talk with the school directly about how the district’s literacy initiative is being implemented at Dolby and what support is available for students who need extra help in math and science. The school’s size and its composition, with a balanced racial mix and a majority of students from lower-income households, are straightforward characteristics that fit some families’ preferences and not others. The available evidence presents a school that is performing somewhat above the middle of its local comparison group but with clear variation across subjects.
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