The top reported proficiency rate is 29% in English language arts. The lowest is 14% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Sixth Ward Elementary School
Sixth Ward Elementary School sits in Vacherie, a rural unincorporated community along the Mississippi River in St. James Parish. The school serves grades four through six and is one of the regular public schools in the parish. Vacherie is a place with a deep agricultural and tourism identity, known for sugar cane farming and historic antebellum plantations like Oak Alley and Laura. The community strings along River Road without a walkable downtown or concentrated street life, and schools here are distributed along that highway corridor rather than clustered in a town center. This is a setting where driving is a given and the civic anchors are the schools, the post office, and the plantation sites that draw visitors.
The student body at Sixth Ward is predominantly Black, with a smaller share of white students and a very small Hispanic population. A majority of students come from households that qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, reflecting the economic realities of the area. The grade band is relatively narrow, covering only three grades in the middle of elementary school, so the school has a focused age range.
State assessment results from the LEAP 2025 tests show that a limited share of students met the proficiency bar in English language arts, math, science, and social studies. Participation in testing was complete, but the proficiency rates were lower than what many families hope to see. In English language arts and math, roughly a quarter to a little more than a quarter of students scored at the proficient level. In science and social studies, the rates were lower still, around one in seven or one in six students. The multi-year data shows only a single year of results, so there is no trend line to assess whether performance is improving, holding steady, or declining. Families considering this school will want to look into what academic support programs and interventions are in place, and how the school approaches instruction for students who are not yet at grade level.
Because the school does not serve high school grades, there is no graduation rate to report. Information about special education services and English learner programs was missing from the data, so a reader cannot tell from these records how the school supports those student populations. The school is not a charter or magnet school, and its Title I status was not provided.
Housing in the Vacherie area is well below the national median home value and also below the Louisiana state median. The typical home price here is roughly in the mid to upper range for the parish but remains affordable relative to much of the country, and home values have seen a modest uptick over the past year. The overall economic context shows mortgage rates near the national average and the unemployment rate slightly above what is considered full employment nationally, but within a normal range.
The district, St. James Parish Public Schools, has no recent major changes that would be relevant to a parent choosing a school. No new boundaries, programs, or leadership shifts were found in the search.
Sixth Ward Elementary offers a straightforward public school option in a rural Louisiana river community. The school serves a narrow middle-elementary band of grades in a setting where heritage tourism and agriculture anchor the local economy. The academic results point to an area where many students are working to reach proficiency, and a parent would likely want to ask what supplemental instruction, tutoring, or tiered support is offered for those who need it. The broader context is a quiet, unincorporated community where the school is one of the central institutions along the highway.
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