The top reported proficiency rate is 39% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Julia B. Maitland School
Julia B. Maitland School is a regular public elementary school in Morgan City, serving students from pre-kindergarten through fifth grade. It is one of four elementary schools in the city operated by the St. Mary Parish School Board. The school is a neighborhood institution for the families living in this small industrial city on the Atchafalaya River, where the economy has long been anchored by the offshore oil industry, the commercial shrimp fleet, and port-related manufacturing.
The student body is diverse. Black students make up the largest share, followed by Hispanic students, White students, and students who identify as two or more races. A substantial share of students come from low-income households. Data on the share of students with disabilities and the share of English learners was not available, which is a notable gap for parents to investigate directly with the district.
Academically, the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments provide a recent single-year picture of how students performed. The data covers the 2024-25 school year. In both English language arts and math, a modest share of students scored at the proficient level or above, meaning most students scored below that threshold. Students performed less well on the science assessment, where a noticeably smaller share reached proficiency. In social studies, a quarter of students met the proficiency bar. This set of results places the school above the midpoint for overall proficiency relative to the other districts in St. Mary Parish, a comparison that includes one other district. The data represents a single year, so there is no prior trend to compare it against; a parent may want to ask the school whether these results are consistent with recent performance or represent a change.
The school has a full participation rate on the state assessments, which is a positive signal that nearly all enrolled students took the tests. This matters because low participation can make results unreliable.
Morgan City has experienced steady population decline in recent decades, which shapes the environment families live in. The housing market is notably affordable; home values are well below both the state and national benchmarks, and they have been falling recently. For a family buying a home, this can mean a lower barrier to entry, though it also reflects the area's economic headwinds. The local unemployment rate has been near the national average in recent months.
The district brief turned up no recent major changes in policies, leadership, or programs at the district level. That may mean stability, or it may simply mean that the kinds of changes that get reported publicly have not occurred recently. For a parent trying to understand the district's direction, this is an area where a call to the school board office or a look at recent school board meeting minutes would be necessary.
The school itself appears to be a straightforward neighborhood elementary serving a diverse, lower-income student population in a small city with a working-class industrial heritage. Academic results show room for improvement, particularly in science, and the lack of multiple years of data makes it hard to gauge momentum. Families considering the school would be well served to talk with current parents and ask about academic support programs, especially in the core subjects where proficiency rates are modest.
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