The top reported proficiency rate is 33% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Park Elementary School
Park Elementary School is a regular public school in New Iberia, Louisiana, serving children from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade. The school sits within the Iberia Parish school district, which is the sole school system in the parish. New Iberia, the parish seat, is a community with a historic downtown along Bayou Teche, an economy tied to agriculture, especially sugar cane, and heritage food production. The city has seen a population decline over recent decades, and no specific major new housing developments were identified publicly. The school building itself is located on West Admiral Doyle Drive, a main thoroughfare.
The student body at Park Elementary is around that size for a PK through sixth grade school. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The demographic composition is heavily Black, with a far smaller share of White students and smaller shares of Hispanic, Asian, Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander, and multiracial students. The data did not include the share of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners, which a parent may want to ask the school about.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, Park Elementary’s proficiency rates were low relative to what a parent might expect. In math, about one in five students scored proficient or above. In English language arts, about one-third did. Science proficiency was around one in seven students, and social studies was around one in five. Participation rates were very high, which means the results represent nearly all students in the tested grades. The available data provided only a single year of results, so no trend can be drawn.
The school serves only through sixth grade, so there is no high school graduation rate to report. It offers no advanced coursework such as AP or dual enrollment because those programs apply to high school. The data did not include information on discipline rates, attendance, or chronic absenteeism. It also did not include course access, teacher staffing ratios, or the school’s Title I status, though the high share of students receiving meal assistance suggests it would likely be a Title I school. A parent may want to follow up with the school on these topics.
Housing in the area is considerably more affordable than state and national benchmarks. Typical home values fell over the past year, and rents are moderate. The estimated monthly mortgage costs and rent both represent a share of the national median household income that suggests a lower cost of living, though local income data was not available for this specific area. The economic context for the broader parish includes a stable but not booming job market, with an unemployment rate at the national average.
Park Elementary is the only school in its county for which this comparison data was available, so placing it relative to other districts within Iberia Parish was not possible. The school operates as a neighborhood school in a small city that has seen population loss, serving a population with high economic need. Its academic performance on state tests is a clear area where results are below what many families would hope to see. The school offers the early grades and middle grades under one roof, which for some families may provide continuity through elementary and middle school. The lack of publicly available information on special programs, discipline, and staffing makes it harder to get a full picture from the data alone, and a visit or conversation with the school would be useful for any family considering it.
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