The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Laplace Elementary School
LaPlace Elementary School serves students from prekindergarten through eighth grade in the community of LaPlace, an unincorporated suburban census-designated place in St. John the Baptist Parish, about 25 miles west of New Orleans. The area sits along the Mississippi River at the junction of major highways including I-10 and I-55, giving it a car-oriented layout without a traditional downtown core. The local economy draws heavily from petrochemical and port-related industry, with the Port of South Louisiana headquartered in LaPlace and major employers such as Shell Chemical Company and Denka nearby. The community grew rapidly from the mid-20th century through the 1990s as a suburban commuter base, though it has also faced repeated natural disasters, including severe flooding from Hurricane Isaac and significant damage from Hurricane Ida in 2021.
LaPlace Elementary is a regular public school within the St. John the Baptist Parish school district. It is not a charter school. The school enrolls a sizable student body for a PK-8 campus. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student population is diverse, with the largest group identifying as Black, followed by Hispanic students, with smaller shares of white students and students of other racial backgrounds.
State testing results from the LEAP 2025 assessments are available for students in grades three through eight, and they paint a clear picture of the school’s current academic standing. In English language arts, about a quarter of students scored at the proficient level or above, which is the state’s target for grade-level mastery. In mathematics, a similar share of students reached that bar. Performance in science and social studies was lower, with a smaller proportion of students meeting the proficient threshold. Participation rates on the assessments were very high, meaning the results reflect nearly the entire tested student body. The district brief turned up no recent major changes or strategic initiatives publicly reported for St. John the Baptist Parish schools, so it is not possible to describe any new academic programs or improvement efforts underway across the system.
Because LaPlace Elementary serves only through eighth grade, there is no high school graduation rate to report here. The school does not offer Advanced Placement courses or dual-credit pathways, which is typical for an elementary and middle school. Data on discipline, staffing ratios, chronic absenteeism, and special education or English learner populations were not available, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those dimensions of student support.
This is a school whose academic proficiency rates are well below state averages, a fact that families evaluating the school will want to weigh carefully. The school’s strength is that it covers a broad grade span, from prekindergarten through middle school, which can provide continuity for children who stay in the same building for many years. The sizable enrollment also means a range of class sections and peer groupings within each grade. The surrounding community offers a mix of residential subdivisions and industrial employment, with home values and rents that are moderately below national benchmarks, making LaPlace a more affordable option within the New Orleans metropolitan orbit. The area’s history of hurricane and flood damage is a practical consideration for any family looking at the housing market here. For parents trying to understand what this school offers, the bottom line is a PK-8 environment with a high-needs student body and academic results that are currently well below the state’s proficiency targets, set in a suburban industrial community that has seen its share of disruption from storms.
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