The top reported proficiency rate is 48% in English language arts. The lowest is 29% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Northside Elementary School
Northside Elementary School serves students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade in Denham Springs, a community that has long functioned as a commuter hub for Baton Rouge workers. The city sits at the intersection of major highways and has a historic downtown district known as the Antique Village, filled with boutiques, restaurants, and cafes. Denham Springs grew steadily for decades before experiencing a population decline in the most recent census, and catastrophic flooding in recent years reshaped the community’s recovery priorities. The school is part of Livingston Parish Public Schools, a district that passed a major bond for new construction and renovations, redrew attendance zones effective for the 2024-2025 school year, and renewed a property tax for operations.
The student body at Northside is diverse and predominantly from households that qualify for free or reduced-price meals, a substantial share of the overall enrollment. The racial and ethnic composition includes a large number of white students, a sizable Hispanic population, a notable Black student group, and smaller shares of multiracial, Asian, and American Indian students. Because Northside serves only elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report.
State assessment results from the LEAP 2025 tests offer a mixed picture. English language arts had the strongest showing, with nearly half of students meeting the state’s proficiency benchmark. Math proficiency was lower, and both science and social studies fell further behind. A parent should note that the social studies test had a change in cut scores from a prior year, which can affect comparisons. The school had full participation on all tested subjects, so the results reflect the whole tested population. There is only one year of data available for these assessments, so there is no multi-year trend to examine. A family may want to ask the school how it supports students in math, science, and social studies, where performance is softer.
The school is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, so it operates under the district’s standard curriculum and policies. Details about special education and English learner populations were not available in the data, which is a gap a parent may want to follow up on directly. There is also no information on discipline, staffing ratios, or course access for this school, likely because those fields were not reported for this profile.
Denham Springs is car-oriented beyond its walkable downtown core, and schools are spread across the city rather than clustered together. Northside sits on Robbie Street, a location that fits the pattern of separated campuses. The housing market in the area is moderately affordable compared to national benchmarks, with home values and rents that have both risen recently. The district’s bond-funded facility projects, including a new high school in the southern part of the parish, signal ongoing growth and investment that could affect future attendance boundaries for elementary schools as well.
The comparison data for Northside could not place it against other districts because there was only one district in the county’s comparison set, a structural limitation, not a judgment about the school. A parent evaluating Northside will want to look at how it fits within the broader Livingston Parish system, especially given recent redistricting that shifted attendance zones heading into the 2024-2025 school year. The district has also expanded career and technical education pathways, though those begin at the high school level and do not directly affect an elementary school. For a family considering this school, the core question is whether the academic profile, particularly in reading relative to the other subjects, matches their child’s needs and whether the school’s support for math and science aligns with their expectations.
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