Original Research by School Decision on Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School
Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School is a large public high school in Kenner, a car-dependent suburban city and the most populous municipality in Jefferson Parish. Kenner is home to the Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport, several hospitals, and the Pontchartrain Center convention center. Its population has been declining modestly in recent years. The school sits within the Jefferson Parish Public School System, which recently approved a consolidation plan involving school closures and attendance zone changes. Parents considering the district should be aware that these changes may affect future commutes and school assignments.
Bonnabel is a large school, serving a substantial number of students across grades nine through twelve. The student body is predominantly Hispanic, with a significant Black population and a smaller share of white students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need among the families the school serves. Data on the number of students with disabilities or who are English learners was not available in the information reviewed for this profile.
In Kenner, median home values are above the national median, and rents have declined slightly in recent years. The housing market reflects a mixed suburban environment with a range of single-family homes and apartments, typical of a New Orleans suburb.
State testing data, graduation rates, and other standard academic performance metrics were not available for Bonnabel in the data provided. This means that a straightforward comparison of the school’s academic results to other schools in Jefferson Parish or across the state is not possible from this information alone. A family looking to weigh Bonnabel’s academic standing would need to seek this data directly from the school or the district.
Without academic performance measures, a family’s primary basis for evaluating Bonnabel must come from its characteristics as a large, diverse public high school. The school operates as a regular public school, not a charter, though it carries the "magnet" designation in its name. The school’s website and any specific magnet program offerings were not detailed in the available information, so a family should inquire directly about any specialized pathways or themes the magnet designation implies.
The school environment in Kenner is typical of a mid-sized city with suburban infrastructure: car travel is the norm, and the school is accessible via the city’s major corridors. Rivertown, the historic district, offers cultural amenities and a more walkable area. Laketown provides recreational waterfront access. For families, the school sits in a community with a mix of entertainment, retail, and civic resources, though the decline of the Esplanade Mall signals some economic transition.
Given the lack of testing and graduation data, the primary takeaway is that Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School is a large, diverse public high school in a suburban city experiencing modest population decline and district-wide consolidation. The school’s student body is economically diverse, with a high share of students eligible for meal assistance. Any family seeking to evaluate its academic quality or student outcomes will need to gather that information from the school directly, as the data reviewed here does not provide it.
See more original research from School Decision →