The top reported proficiency rate is 67% in English language arts. The lowest is 36% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Woodlake Elementary School
Woodlake Elementary School serves the city of Mandeville, Louisiana, from pre-kindergarten through third grade. Because its grade band stops at third, the school has no graduation data, no high school course offerings, and no secondary measures such as college preparation or career pathways. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, within the St. Tammany Parish Public School system.
Mandeville itself is primarily a residential lakefront community along the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain. Its growth has been driven by the Lake Pontchartrain Causeway, which connects the town to New Orleans about a 24-mile drive south, making the area an exurban commuter base for the metro region. The city has a historic core near the lakefront, with landmarks like the Dew Drop Jazz & Social Hall, and suburban-style single-family housing and shopping corridors beyond that nucleus. The Mandeville Trailhead anchors a portion of the Tammany Trace rail-trail, a 31-mile recreational corridor. The city's own materials describe it as family-friendly, with summer lake breezes and good schools. Hurricane Katrina affected Mandeville in 2005, and most reconstruction was complete within a few years, with many elevated homes in flood-prone areas.
Woodlake Elementary's enrollment is sizeable for a primary school serving only through third grade. The student body is predominantly white, with a substantial Hispanic minority and smaller shares of Black and multiracial students. About a third of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, which places the school in a moderately lower-poverty context for a public school, though a family may still want to ask whether additional supports are available for those who need them. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported, so those profiles are not visible from available records. Families with a child who receives special education services or who is an English learner would want to confirm with the school directly how those populations are served.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, which are taken only by third graders in this building, Woodlake's results show a split across subjects. English language arts proficiency is at a solid level, with a strong majority of tested third graders reaching the proficient or above threshold. Mathematics proficiency is lower, with just over half of students scoring at that level. Science and social studies proficiency rates are notably weaker, with about a third of students proficient in each. Because social studies cut scores changed in the 2024-25 school year, that result should be interpreted with some caution; the test itself was revised. A parent may want to ask how the school addresses these gaps, especially in the content areas, and what instructional time or resources are devoted to science and social studies in early elementary grades. Only one year of testing data was available, so there is no visible trend line to show whether performance is improving.
The comparison framework that would position Woodlake's overall proficiency relative to other schools in its county could not be applied because the cohort of comparable entities was too small, meaning a reliable ranking against neighboring districts was not possible from the available data. The school sits within St. Tammany Parish, a district that serves the entire parish, and no recent district-level changes or strategic initiatives were found in the search results, so readers should check the district's website or communications for current priorities.
Housing in the Mandeville area is relatively expensive compared to the state average, with home values well above Louisiana's typical level. Rents are also above the state mark. The economic context includes a typical national mortgage rate and an unemployment rate near the national average. For a family considering a move to the attendance zone, the housing costs are a relevant factor; the school's enrollment is already sizable, suggesting a well-established residential area with steady demand.
For a family weighing Woodlake Elementary, the strengths are a solid ELA proficiency rate and a generally advantageous demographic context with moderate poverty levels. The academic soft spots are in math, science, and social studies, where proficiency rates are lower. Because the school stops at third grade, families will be planning an eventual transition to a fourth-grade campus within the parish, so understanding the feeder pattern and the quality of the receiving school is part of the decision. The setting is suburban and car-oriented, with walkable pockets near the lakefront but not around the school itself. The school's character is that of a conventional elementary in a well-regarded parish system, serving a pre-K-to-3 population without the kind of program specialization found in magnets or charters. A parent whose priority is early elementary with strong core literacy outcomes in a stable suburban community will find Woodlake a credible option.
See more original research from School Decision →