The top reported proficiency rate is 70% in English language arts. The lowest is 40% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Pontchartrain Elementary School
Pontchartrain Elementary School serves students in pre-kindergarten through third grade, making it a starting-point school within the St. Tammany Parish Public School system in Mandeville, Louisiana. Because it covers only the earliest grades, there is no graduation rate, no high-school-level program offerings to evaluate, and the assessment results cover only the one grade that is tested. A parent reading this should understand the school as an entry point for young children, and will need to plan for a transition to an upper-elementary or middle school after third grade.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, which are given in third grade, the school posted proficiency rates that give a mixed picture. In English language arts, the share of students scoring at the proficient level or above was solidly above the midpoint of the range a parent would typically see. In math, the proficiency share was also above the midpoint. In social studies, the share was around the midpoint. In science, the share was lower; this is a subject where the school may want to look further into curriculum and support, though again the results come from a single tested grade and a single cohort. All students in the tested group participated, so the results reflect the full third-grade class.
The school is a regular public school, neither a charter nor a magnet. Its enrollment is large for a school serving only pre-K through third grade, and its student body is predominantly white, with a much smaller but present share of Hispanic students, a small share of Black students, a small share of students identifying as two or more races, and very small shares of Asian and American Indian or Alaska Native students. The share of students who qualify for free or reduced-price lunch is below what many public schools report, indicating a relatively lower level of economic need among the families enrolled. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available, so a parent with a child who may need those services should ask the school directly about its special education staffing and English-learner support.
Mandeville sits on the north shore of Lake Pontchartrain, connected to New Orleans by the Causeway bridge. It is a suburban community described by the city as family-friendly, and its growth has been driven by that commuter connection. The school is located near the West Causeway Approach, a commercial corridor. The area around the school is car-oriented, with single-family housing and shopping plazas, though the lakefront and the Mandeville Trailhead offer walkable recreational spaces like the Tammany Trace rail-trail, a community market, and a splash pad. Housing values in the zip code are above the national median, and rents are correspondingly high, which fits the profile of an area where the school serves families with relatively low poverty rates. The St. Tammany Parish district overall did not have recent major changes publicly confirmed during this review; the search for budget or boundary changes returned no new information, so a parent should check the district website for any upcoming rezonings or facility plans that could affect Pontchartrain Elementary.
For a family considering this school, the strengths are clear: solid early literacy and math outcomes on the state test, a large enrollment that may allow for stable class sections and resource allocation, a low-poverty student population, and a community setting that is oriented toward families and commuters. The soft spots are the lower science proficiency and the fact that the school ends at third grade, meaning children will need to move to another school afterward. A parent who values a neighborhood school with a suburban, low-poverty peer environment and wants strong early reading and math instruction will find this a good fit. A parent who wants a school that extends through fifth grade or higher, or who wants more information about special education and English-learner services, should ask those questions directly. The school's role as a primary-entry building is the key fact to weigh.
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