The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 26% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Phoenix High School
Phoenix High School sits in Braithwaite, an unincorporated community in Plaquemines Parish, stretched along the Mississippi River on a highway corridor southeast of New Orleans. The school is the only public school in this small, rural settlement, and it serves students from pre-kindergarten through twelfth grade under the Plaquemines Parish School Board. The area has a dispersed, auto-dependent layout. There is no downtown; the school itself is situated on a highway, and the post office is the other main civic anchor. The community was hit hard by Hurricane Isaac several years ago, and its population has been stable or slowly declining. Housing values in the ZIP code are below both the state and national medians and have declined over the past year.
The school enrolls a small student body, and the vast majority of students are Black. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating a high level of economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available. Because Phoenix is a regular public school serving all grades in a single building, it is the kind of place where a child could start in pre-kindergarten and finish high school without ever changing schools.
On the LEAP 2025 state assessments, proficiency rates across subjects fall in a range that places the school well below the average for its parish. In English language arts, just over a third of students tested scored at the proficient level or above. In math, about a quarter did. Science and social studies showed similar figures. The multi-year trend data covers only a single year, so there is no way to see whether these results represent an improvement or a decline. When compared with other districts in Plaquemines Parish, which has only two districts total, Phoenix’s overall proficiency index sits at the bottom of that small group. A parent looking at these numbers may want to ask the school about specific academic supports and interventions, especially in math and science.
The school’s graduation rate was not available. That is a notable gap, and a parent may want to confirm with the district how many students finish in four years and what pathways are in place for those who are at risk of not graduating. No information was provided about course offerings, Advanced Placement, dual enrollment, or career and technical education programs. For a small PK-12 school with a limited staff, the breadth of high school coursework is an open question. A family moving into the area with a high schooler should inquire directly about what classes, credentials, and postsecondary supports are actually available.
The district itself did not surface any recent parent-relevant changes such as boundary adjustments, program launches, or facility plans in publicly available sources. That silence may simply reflect the small scale of the system, but it means a prospective resident should not assume any upcoming upgrades or new initiatives.
Phoenix High School is best understood as a community school in a small, vulnerable river parish. Its academic results are low relative to the parish average, and the lack of data on graduation, special education, English learner services, and program offerings leaves many unanswered questions. The school fits a family that values proximity, a single campus from kindergarten through senior year, and a setting that is rural and quiet. A family whose priorities include high measured proficiency, a broad advanced curriculum, or a robust set of postsecondary pathways would want to visit and ask hard questions about what is actually available for their child.
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