The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 23% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Carencro Bob Lilly Elementary
Carencro Bob Lilly Elementary is a regular public school serving prekindergarten through fifth grade in Carencro, a rapidly growing suburban city within Lafayette Parish. The school sits in a community that blends residential neighborhoods with commercial corridors and has strong roots in Cajun and Creole heritage. Its enrollment is diverse, with a student body that reflects the area’s racial and ethnic composition: Black students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students and white students, along with small numbers of Asian and multiracial students. A substantial majority of families qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a population with significant economic need.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, Carencro Bob Lilly Elementary’s proficiency rates across math, English language arts, science, and social studies are modest. In math and ELA, just over a quarter of students scored proficient or above, while science and social studies came in at a slightly lower rate. When compared to other schools across Lafayette Parish, the school’s overall proficiency index sits above the lowest-performing school but below the midpoint of the six districts in the comparison set. Participation rates on the state tests were very high, which means the results give a complete picture of student performance. Because this is the first year of data available in the current assessment framework, there is no trend to analyze yet. A parent may want to discuss with the school what specific support strategies are in place to raise proficiency, particularly given the high share of students from low-income households.
The school is part of the Lafayette Parish school system, which did not report any recent major district-level changes. No information was available in the data about special education or English learner populations, staffing, or disciplinary incidents, so those are gaps a family would need to explore directly with the school.
Carencro itself is undergoing extremely fast growth. The population has increased sharply in just a few years, and the city describes itself as preserving its Cajun and Creole character while accommodating new arrivals. Housing values are moderate, roughly in line with statewide patterns, and the area is car-dependent, with most residents commuting to jobs in Lafayette or nearby. The retail sector is strong, and the historic downtown area centers on St. Peter’s Catholic Church. For a family considering this school, the context is a community in transition—more people arriving, new housing being built, and a school that reflects that mix of longtime residents and newcomers.
Overall, this is a school where the academic results are lower than many families might hope for, especially in a district with a few higher-performing options. The school’s strengths lie in its full participation on state tests, the high engagement of families as seen in the near-universal testing rate, and its place in a growing community. For a parent prioritizing a school where test scores are above the local midpoint, this school does not meet that bar—it sits in the lower half of the parish on overall proficiency. However, for a family that values a diverse, economically mixed elementary school in a fast-growing suburb with relatively affordable housing, and who wants to be actively involved in pushing for improvement, this school could be a fit. The missing pieces—special services data, discipline rates, and program offerings—are worth investigating further with the school’s leadership to get a complete sense of daily life and support structures.
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