The top reported proficiency rate is 53% in English language arts. The lowest is 35% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on St. John Elementary School
St. John Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Lake Charles, part of the Calcasieu Parish school district. The school has a large enrollment for its grade band, and the student body is predominantly white, with a substantial share of students who are Black and a smaller number of Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of the student population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a degree of economic diversity within the school community.
Academically, St. John Elementary’s performance on Louisiana’s LEAP 2025 assessments shows a mixed picture. In English language arts, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above, a relative strength that places the school meaningfully above the midpoint among its peer districts in Calcasieu Parish on an overall proficiency index. In mathematics, the share of students reaching proficiency was lower, and in science and social studies, the proportion achieving proficiency was also below the rate seen in reading. Because the state adjusted cut scores for social studies in the most recent year, direct comparisons of that subject’s results to prior years should be made with caution. The school’s overall proficiency across all tested subjects and grades, when combined into a single index, positions it in the top quartile relative to other districts in Calcasieu Parish. This suggests that while results are uneven across subjects, the school’s academic standing is broadly favorable when set against the local context.
Only a single year of assessment data was available, so there is no multi-year trend to show whether performance is improving or declining. For a school serving only elementary grades, this is often the case, and it means a parent cannot gauge movement from this data alone.
The Lake Charles community is a mid-sized city that serves as an industrial, cultural, and educational hub for southwest Louisiana. The economy is anchored by petrochemical refining, casino-based tourism, and higher education institutions including McNeese State University and Sowela Technical Community College. The city was severely damaged by Hurricanes Laura and Delta in 2020, and recovery and rebuilding have been a dominant theme in recent years. The Calcasieu Parish school district, reflecting this, has passed unusually large budgets driven by FEMA reimbursement and rebuilding funds, funding major construction and renovation of multiple school facilities. Voters also renewed two property tax millages in 2024 that generate funding for teacher salaries and school operations, securing that revenue stream without a tax increase. The district has also implemented a districtwide literacy initiative in recent years, focused on structured literacy approaches and reading intervention, an effort that has drawn recognition.
Housing values in the area around St. John Elementary are somewhat above the state average, though still below the national median, offering a middle ground for families weighing housing costs against school options. Rents have seen notable increases in the recent period, a trend in line with broader national patterns for shelter costs.
For a family considering this school, the key takeaway is a large elementary school with a diverse student body by economic background and race, strongest in English language arts relative to other subjects, and operating within a district that has made substantial recent investments in both infrastructure and literacy instruction. The academic data covers only one year, so it serves as a snapshot rather than a trend line. Parents who want a deeper understanding of how instruction and support vary by subject, especially in math and science, would do well to speak directly with the school or attend a parent-teacher event.
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