The top reported proficiency rate is 50% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Freshwater Elementary School
Freshwater Elementary School is a regular public school serving pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Denham Springs, Louisiana, part of the Livingston Parish Public Schools system. The school sits in a community that bills itself as the largest commercial and residential hub in Livingston Parish and has long functioned as a commuter town for Baton Rouge, earning it the nickname “The Bedroom of Baton Rouge.” Downtown Denham Springs has shifted from hardware stores and doctors’ offices to antique shops, boutiques, and restaurants—now known as the Denham Springs Antique Village—giving the city a distinct walkable core. The area has experienced rapid growth in past decades, though catastrophic flooding in 2016 reshaped parts of the community and drove recovery efforts that remain a civic priority today. Housing values in the zip code are modestly above the state benchmark but below the national level, and monthly rents and mortgage costs suggest a market that is still relatively affordable for families.
The student body at Freshwater Elementary is predominantly white, with a sizable Hispanic minority and a smaller Black population. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting a community with significant economic diversity. Enrollment is modest for an elementary school, and the school reports full participation on state assessments.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments administered in the most recent school year, reading and language arts was the strongest subject for Freshwater Elementary. About half of students in grades three through five scored at the proficient level or above. Math performance was lower, with roughly one-third of students meeting that bar, and similar proportions were seen in science and social studies. The school’s overall proficiency picture shows a clear gap between English language arts and other core subjects. Parents may want to ask the school about the specific instructional supports in math and science, as those are areas where many students are not reaching the state’s proficiency benchmark.
As an elementary school, Freshwater does not report a graduation rate, nor does it offer advanced coursework or career pathway programs. The district, Livingston Parish Public Schools, has been active in recent years. Voters approved a major bond in 2022 to fund new school construction, facility upgrades, and technology improvements. The school board also approved a district-wide attendance zone redistricting plan in late 2023, taking effect in the 2024-2025 school year, which means some families may have experienced changes in their child’s assigned school. At the high school level, the district has expanded career and technical education programs in healthcare, manufacturing, and information technology. A new high school in the southern part of the parish is in the design phase, funded by the 2022 bond, aimed at relieving overcrowding.
No discipline data, chronic absenteeism rates, or staff-to-student ratios were available in the profiles reviewed. A comparative assessment of Freshwater Elementary against other schools in Livingston Parish was not possible because only one district-level comparison set is provided, which includes this school alone. That gap is typical of within-district comparisons; the information here is limited to the school’s own results.
Freshwater Elementary serves its community as a foundational school for young children in a growing suburban parish that has invested in its school facilities and attempted to balance enrollment across the district through redistricting. For a parent weighing this school, the main considerations are the academic profile—solid in reading, softer in math and science—and the economic and housing context of a commuter city that has seen both rapid growth and natural disaster recovery. The school does not offer a distinct specialty or magnet program, so the day-to-day experience will be that of a straightforward neighborhood elementary school within a larger, active public school system.
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