The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in English language arts. The lowest is 32% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Coteau Elementary School
Coteau Elementary School sits on Coteau Road at the edge of New Iberia, Louisiana, serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade as part of the Iberia Parish school system. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and the data available for the most recent school year shows a school community with some clear academic patterns a parent would want to understand.
The school’s enrollment is moderate for its grade span. The student body is majority white, with a substantial Asian population, a smaller but still sizable Black student group, and smaller shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. A large majority of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that this is a school serving a predominantly lower-income community.
State testing results from the LEAP 2025 assessments, which cover grades three through six, paint a mixed picture. In English language arts, roughly half of students scored at or above the proficient level, a performance that falls in the middle range when compared to other schools across Louisiana. Mathematics proficiency was lower, with just under two in five students reaching that benchmark. Science and social studies results were softer still, with about one in three students scoring proficient. These are the school’s only test results available; no trend data from prior years is reported because the school’s data series begins with the latest year alone. A parent considering this school would want to note the gap between ELA and the other subjects, particularly math and science, and might ask the school how it supports students in those areas.
Because Coteau only goes through sixth grade, there is no graduation rate to consider, and no high school course access data such as AP or dual enrollment offerings. The school’s grade band explains those gaps. The comparison tool, which would normally position this school’s performance relative to all other districts in Iberia Parish, could not produce a ranking because the county contains only one district, so no peer benchmark is available.
On the community side, New Iberia is the parish seat, a town built along Bayou Teche with a historic downtown, a sugar cane and hot sauce economy, and a modest civic infrastructure. Its population has been shrinking over recent decades, and housing in the ZIP code serving Coteau Elementary is notably more affordable than the state and national averages. Rents are also below typical levels, which combined with the area’s modest incomes means housing costs take up a relatively small share of a household’s budget. The local economy is anchored by food production and agriculture, with the Tabasco plant on nearby Avery Island and a number of smaller food companies.
No major recent changes to district policy or programming were identified through publicly available sources. The district’s website and news coverage did not surface any recent shifts in curriculum, boundaries, or leadership that a parent would need to track.
For a family evaluating Coteau Elementary, the picture is a relatively straightforward one. This is a school where ELA outcomes are in a workable range but where math and science scores lag behind. The lack of trend data means there is no way to tell whether these results are improving or declining. The school serves a population with high economic need, and the community around it is stable but not growing. A parent would benefit from visiting, asking about academic intervention and enrichment in math and science, and understanding how the school prepares students for the transition to middle school in the Iberia Parish system.
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