The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in Math. The lowest is 18% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Red River Elementary School
Red River Elementary School is the PK-5 campus of the Red River Parish School District, a small district that serves the rural parish seat of Coushatta in north Louisiana. Because the district contains only a few schools, there is no meaningful set of neighboring districts to compare it against within the parish for positioning. The school itself is the only public elementary option in the district for this age band, which means every child in the district in grades PK through 5 attends here. This gives the school a broad cross-section of the community's youngest students.
Coushatta is a small town on the Red River south of Shreveport. Its population has been declining over recent decades, a trend shared by many rural communities in north Louisiana. The town's economy is anchored by the local hospital, the school district itself, and municipal government. There are no major industrial or large private-sector employers in the immediate area. For a parent, this signals a stable but economically modest local context. Housing values in the area are well below both state and national medians, which means a family moving here may find homeownership more accessible than in many other parts of Louisiana.
The student body at Red River Elementary reflects the community's demographics. The enrollment is moderate for an elementary school that serves a full district, with the largest numbers of students in the early grades, particularly PK and kindergarten. Just over half of the students are Black, with a substantial share of White students and a smaller number of multiracial students. The proportion of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is high, which indicates that a large share of families face economic challenges. This is a very low-income student body by national standards, and a parent should expect that the school's resources and family engagement efforts are shaped by this reality.
The school's academic results are a clear area for a parent to examine closely. State testing data from the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments shows that proficiency rates in math and English language arts are below the midpoint of what most families would consider strong. In science and social studies, the proficiency rates are notably lower. These are the results for the school's tested grades. The school reported full participation in testing, so the data reflects the entire tested population. The district has publicly described its own recent history as a turnaround story, moving from among the lowest-performing in Louisiana to better outcomes through new curriculum, instructional coaching, and data-driven interventions. This suggests that the school has been in a period of intentional change, and current results may represent a trajectory rather than a static picture. A parent evaluating this school would want to ask the principal or district office directly about their current academic plans and what parents can expect in the near term.
No data was available on student discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, staffing qualifications, or course access. These are important gaps. For an elementary school, information about teacher experience and retention would be particularly useful. The school does not serve grades beyond 5, so there is no graduation rate to consider. The community has a small, traditional rural layout, with schools, town hall, and the hospital all within the town's footprint rather than on separated campuses. This means that most families drive their children to school, as walkability is limited by the automobile-dependent layout.
Red River Elementary serves as the single public elementary school for its entire district. It operates in a low-income, rural, slowly depopulating community with academic results that are below state averages across tested subjects. The district itself has made significant curriculum and instructional changes in recent years, which may or may not be fully reflected in the most recent test scores. A parent considering this school should expect a setting where economic challenges are present for many families, where recent reform efforts are underway, and where the academic data warrants a direct conversation with the school about instruction and support for individual students.
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