The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 20% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Mansfield Elementary School
Mansfield Elementary School serves students in prekindergarten through fourth grade in the town of Mansfield, the parish seat of DeSoto Parish in northwestern Louisiana. The school is part of the DeSoto Parish school district.
The school’s student body is almost entirely Black or African American, with small numbers of white students, Hispanic students, and students of two or more races. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with significant economic need.
State testing results from the Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) are available for grades three and four. In English language arts, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above, a showing that places the school at a midpoint compared to some peer schools. In mathematics, about a quarter of students reached that same benchmark. Science proficiency was lower, and social studies proficiency was also below the half mark. Participation in testing was complete, so the results reflect nearly all students in the tested grades.
Because Mansfield Elementary ends at fourth grade, there are no high school outcomes such as graduation rates or college readiness metrics to consider here. Families will need to look ahead at what comes next in the district’s feeder pattern. The district brief did not yield any recent major changes or initiatives that would affect parents’ decisions directly.
Mansfield itself is a small city that has experienced sustained population decline over the past several decades. The housing market reflects that. Home values in the area are well below the state and national medians. The downtown functions as the seat of parish government, but details on walkability, street life, and local commercial activity are limited beyond the basic geography.
For a parent or resident evaluating Mansfield Elementary, the picture centers on an elementary school in a community that has been shrinking economically and demographically. Academic proficiency in English language arts is near the midpoint of what the state measures, while math, science, and social studies results are lower. A parent may want to ask the school about the specific instructional supports in those subjects, especially in math and science, where scores suggest room for growth. The school’s economic profile means that it likely serves a population with a high degree of need, which can affect the kind of wraparound services and staffing the school prioritizes. The absence of data on special education identification rates, English learner populations, and discipline makes it harder to get a full picture of the school’s climate and supports.
Families choosing a school in Mansfield have this as their public elementary option for the younger grades. The decision is less about choosing among multiple elementary schools in town and more about understanding what this one school offers and how well it fits a child’s needs. The school’s size, demographics, and testing profile are all consistent with a small city in a rural parish that has seen decades of outmigration.
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