The top reported proficiency rate is 57% in English language arts. The lowest is 38% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Maplewood Elementary
Maplewood Elementary is a regular public school in Sulphur, Louisiana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade as part of the Calcasieu Parish school district. It is one of the larger elementary schools in the area by enrollment. The student body is predominantly white, with notable shares of Black, Hispanic, Asian, and multiracial students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch.
The school’s academic picture comes from the 2024-25 LEAP 2025 assessments. On the English language arts test, a majority of students scored proficient or above, a solid result that sits above the midpoint among elementary schools in the district. Mathematics proficiency was lower, with about half of students reaching that threshold, and science and social studies proficiency rates were the softest spots. A parent may want to ask the school how it addresses science and social studies instruction, particularly given those subjects are tested at this grade band. The school’s overall proficiency index across tested subjects places it in the top quartile relative to other Calcasieu Parish elementary schools with available data, so the general academic picture is a positive one for the district.
No multi-year trend data was available, so it is not possible to say whether these results represent an improvement, a decline, or stability. The state also changed the cut scores for social studies in this testing cycle, which means that results for that subject are not directly comparable to prior years.
Sulphur is a mid-sized city in southwest Louisiana whose economy has long been driven by oil refineries and petrochemical plants. The neighborhood around Maplewood Elementary was originally developed to house refinery workers, and that industrial base remains the area’s primary employer. The city has seen modest population growth in recent decades. Most new residential development is happening south of town near Carlyss or around the Interstate 10 corridor rather than in the older core where the school sits. Housing in Sulphur is relatively affordable, with home values below the state average and rents rising at a noticeable clip in the most recent year.
The district itself has been through some significant changes. Voters renewed two property tax millages in 2024 that fund teacher salaries and school operations, which secures ongoing staffing resources without raising taxes. The school board has also implemented a districtwide literacy initiative over recent years, using structured literacy approaches and reading interventions, and this effort received a Magna Award from the Louisiana School Boards Association. Additionally, the district passed a very large budget in 2022 that was driven by FEMA reimbursement for rebuilding schools damaged by Hurricanes Laura and Delta, funding major repairs or reconstruction at multiple school facilities across the parish. These changes collectively mean the district has invested heavily in both its physical infrastructure and its core instructional approach.
For a parent considering Maplewood Elementary, the school offers a pre-K through fifth grade program in a city whose economy is tied to industrial employment. The peer environment is economically diverse, with a substantial share of students receiving meal assistance. Academically, the school’s literacy results are a clear strength relative to its district peers, while science and social studies results are areas to understand better. The district’s recent literacy initiative and stable funding for teacher salaries are factors that could shape day-to-day classroom experience. The housing market in Sulphur is comparatively affordable, and the school serves a neighborhood that has been a residential anchor for the area for decades.
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