The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 43% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on North Live Oak Elementary School
North Live Oak Elementary serves prekindergarten through fourth grade in Denham Springs, part of the Livingston Parish Public Schools system. The town itself is the commercial and banking center of Livingston Parish and has long functioned as a commuter community for Baton Rouge, a fact reflected in its nickname "The Bedroom of Baton Rouge." Downtown Denham Springs has shifted from hardware stores and professional offices to a walkable Antique Village of antique shops, boutiques, and cafes. The city was hit hard by catastrophic flooding from the Amite River in 2016, and post-flood recovery has been a defining community theme. Population has declined slightly from its peak in the 2010 census, but the area continues to develop as a commercial hub with easy interstate access.
The school is a regular public school with an enrollment that is predominantly white, with smaller shares of Hispanic and Black students and a very small number of Asian, multiracial, and Native American students. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The school serves only the early elementary grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and that absence is simply a function of the grade band.
On state assessments, a majority of students scored at the proficient level in math and in English language arts. In science, just under half of students reached the proficient threshold, and in social studies the share was similar. A note of caution: the state changed the cut scores for the social studies assessment in this testing cycle, so the social studies result cannot be directly compared to prior years. Participation was high across all subjects. The school has only one year of data available for these assessments, so there is no trend to show improvement or decline over time.
North Live Oak is one element within a district that has been through notable recent changes that directly affect families. Voters approved a substantial school bond in 2022 to fund new construction, renovations, safety upgrades, and technology, which carried a property tax increase. The school board approved a district-wide attendance zone redistricting plan in late 2023 that shifted assignments for hundreds of students starting in the 2024-2025 school year, meaning catchment area boundaries may have changed for families in this neighborhood. Voters renewed a 10-mill property tax dedicated to school operations and maintenance in 2024. The district has also expanded career and technical education pathways, though those programs apply to high school grades and do not directly affect an elementary school. A new high school in the southern end of the parish, funded by the 2022 bond, is in the design and construction pipeline to relieve overcrowding.
State testing data for the 2024-25 school year shows academic results that a parent will want to weigh against their own expectations for elementary performance in reading, math, and the content areas. Because the cohort of Livingston Parish districts contains only one school district, no comparative positioning against neighboring school systems is available. The overall picture is of an elementary school serving a suburban commuter community with a majority of students qualifying for economic support, producing proficiency levels that sit in a moderate range across subjects. For a family considering this school, the most actionable next step would be to visit, talk to the principal about the school's instructional focus, and confirm which attendance zone applies under the recent redistricting.
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