The top reported proficiency rate is 18% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Oak Park Elementary School
Oak Park Elementary School is a regular public school in Lake Charles, Louisiana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Calcasieu Parish school district. The school is situated in a mid-sized city that functions as an industrial, cultural, and educational center for southwest Louisiana, a city that has weathered significant hurricane damage in recent years and is working through a rebuilding phase. The district itself has secured renewed property tax millages for teacher salaries and operations, and has invested heavily in post-hurricane facility reconstruction, with a districtwide literacy initiative now underway.
The student body is small and predominantly Black, with a very substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. This indicates a high-poverty school environment. State testing data from the most recent school year is available for grades three through five covering math, English language arts, science, and social studies. The results show that proficiency rates have a very low attainment level in every subject, with the strongest area being English language arts, followed by math, then science, and social studies the lowest. These figures are taken from a single year of data, so there is no multi-year trend to compare against, but the current picture is clear. The school's average scale scores are also low. The comparison set, which places Oak Park among the other elementary schools in Calcasieu Parish, shows overall proficiency in the bottom quartile for the district.
The school environment is a regular public school setting. Information on discipline rates, staffing levels, chronic absenteeism, and course access programs was not available in the data provided. Enrollment by grade is fairly balanced across the elementary bands, with kindergarten through fifth grade each having a comparable number of students. The pre-kindergarten count was listed as absent, meaning the school may not have a stand-alone pre-K program, or the data was simply not reported that way. Special education and English learner population data were also not reported.
For a family considering this school, the primary consideration is the academic context. The school is struggling with very low proficiency on state assessments across all tested subjects. This is not a school where a large portion of students are meeting grade-level benchmarks. A parent would want to investigate what academic interventions, tutoring, or support structures are in place. The district’s new literacy initiative, which received a Magna Award, may be one such effort, but a parent should ask the school directly how it plans to raise achievement for its current students. The housing market in the zip code is affordable relative to state and national benchmarks, and rental rates are also lower, which is consistent with the area's economic profile and the school's high-poverty demographic. The city’s economy is anchored by petrochemical industry, casinos, and higher education, but the population has declined in recent years following major hurricanes.
Oak Park Elementary School is a place where a family will find a small, tight-knit school community in a city with a strong industrial identity and recovery trajectory. The peer group is almost entirely Black and low-income. The academic numbers are a significant concern. A parent should plan to engage closely with the school on academic progress and support. The school's website and the district office would be the next step for a family wanting to understand how its specific programs, after-school options, and support services match a child's needs.
See more original research from School Decision →