The top reported proficiency rate is 17% in English language arts. The lowest is 5% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Paul Breaux Middle School
Paul Breaux Middle School is a regular public school in Lafayette, Louisiana, serving grades five through eight. It sits within the Lafayette Parish school system, one of six districts in the parish. The student body is diverse: the largest group is Black students, followed by White students, with smaller shares of Asian, Hispanic, and multiracial students. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the community’s economic profile. Enrollment is moderate for a middle school, with students concentrated in sixth through eighth grades; the data shows no fifth graders enrolled.
State testing results from the 2024-25 LEAP 2025 assessments reveal that academic proficiency is low across all subjects tested. In math and science, the share of students scoring proficient or above was in the single digits. In English language arts, proficiency was somewhat higher but still below one in five students. Social studies proficiency was similarly low. Only a single year of testing data is available, so no trend can be examined. When compared against other districts in Lafayette Parish, Paul Breaux Middle School’s overall proficiency across subjects was among the lowest. The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. No data on chronic absenteeism, discipline, staffing, or course access were provided.
The school’s immediate academic picture is the main thing available to a parent evaluating this option. The absence of program offerings in the record means families would need to ask the school directly about any special academies, elective pathways, or enrichment opportunities. The school is part of the Lafayette Parish district, and the district brief turned up no recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, new leadership, or policy shifts.
Lafayette itself is a mid-sized consolidated city-parish that functions as the economic and cultural hub of Louisiana’s Acadiana region. The economy has roots in oil and gas but has diversified into technology, healthcare, banking, retail, and aerospace. The University of Louisiana at Lafayette is a major presence. The built environment is car-dependent; downtown has a walkable core, but most residential areas require driving. The housing market in the school’s immediate area shows home values below state and national averages, with a recent year-over-year decline, while rental costs have risen. This context may matter for families deciding where to live in relation to the school.
For a family that places weight on standardized test outcomes and peer academic environment, Paul Breaux Middle School presents a picture of significant academic challenge. A parent concerned about these results would want to investigate the school’s instructional supports, intervention programs, and any recent or planned improvement initiatives. The school’s high poverty rate and tested proficiency levels suggest that a family whose child is performing at or above grade level may want to confirm that the school’s academic offerings will match their child’s needs. Conversely, a family new to the area who values a diverse student body and a school embedded in a mid-sized city with a strong cultural identity may still want to learn more. The data does not speak to the school’s climate, teacher quality, or extracurricular life, so those remain open questions best answered by a visit or a conversation with the principal.
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