The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Stella Worley Middle School
Stella Worley Middle School serves grades six through eight in Westwego, a small suburban community on the west bank of the Mississippi River in Jefferson Parish. The school is a regular public school within the Jefferson Parish Public School System. It is not a charter school.
The student body is diverse. Black students make up roughly half of the enrollment, Hispanic students about a quarter, and White students about a fifth, with smaller numbers of Asian, multiracial, and American Indian students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Data on the number of students receiving special education services or classified as English learners was not available.
State testing results from the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, covering the 2024-25 school year, show that the school's performance is low relative to what Louisiana expects at the proficient level. In English language arts, more than a quarter of students scored proficient or above. In math, the share of students reaching that level was in the single digits. In science, roughly one in ten students scored proficient or above, and in social studies, less than one in five did. Because a cut score change was implemented for social studies that year, a parent should treat that particular result with caution and may want to ask the school how the change affected the score. A single year of data is available for this school, so there is no trend to compare.
The middle school sits within the Jefferson Parish school district, which has undergone significant changes recently. A school consolidation plan approved in 2023 after being proposed the year before involves closures and mergers, plus redrawn attendance zones, affecting families across the parish. The School Board also approved budget cuts for the 2024-25 school year citing declining enrollment and state funding shortfalls, including reductions in central office staff and transportation services. On the program side, the district adopted a new evidence-based reading curriculum starting in the 2023-24 school year, part of a state-level literacy initiative. It also received a federal grant for STEM education enhancement, to be spread over multiple years for technology upgrades, teacher training, and expanded programs.
Westwego itself is a compact city with a history rooted in the railroad, fishing, and seafood processing industries. Sala Avenue functions as the historic downtown corridor, hosting a farmers and fisheries market on Saturdays, a historic museum, and a riverfront landing. Bayou Segnette State Park and the John A. Alario Event Center are nearby civic anchors. The city's population has been roughly stable to slightly declining. Most of the built environment is oriented toward the Westbank Expressway, so auto access is the primary way to get around. The consolidation plan and budget cuts in the district mean that families newly choosing Westwego should be aware that attendance zones and school offerings may be in flux.
What this adds up to is a middle school with a diverse student body where most students qualify for economic support, and where the academic results on state tests fall well short of the proficient mark. The district context is one of retrenchment: consolidating buildings, cutting budgets, and trying to redirect resources. A parent considering this school should look into what academic supports are in place for students who are below grade level, how the consolidation plan specifically affects this school's attendance zone, and what STEM programs the federal grant has brought to this campus.
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