The top reported proficiency rate is 26% in English language arts. The lowest is 11% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Lucille Nesom Memorial
Tickfaw is a small village in Tangipahoa Parish, a primarily residential community with a distinct Italian-American heritage. Commercial activity is limited and oriented along the highway corridor, with most economic life centered on the nearby city of Hammond. The village has seen slow but steady growth, and no major new housing developments are described in available sources, giving it a stable, small-town character. Notable civic anchors include Tickfaw State Park, a nearby recreational area. The public school serving this community is Lucille Nesom Memorial, a regular public school covering pre-kindergarten through eighth grade.
The school serves an enrollment that is diverse on several fronts, with a substantial share of students qualifying for free or reduced-price meals. The student body is composed of multiple racial and ethnic backgrounds. Data on the share of students receiving special education services or identified as English learners was not available for this profile.
State assessment results from the Louisiana LEAP 2025 tests, which cover grades three through eight, offer a clear picture of student performance. In English language arts, roughly a quarter of students scored at the proficient level, meaning they met or exceeded state standards. In math, the share of students reaching proficiency was lower. Science and social studies proficiency rates also fell below the quarter mark, with science the weakest of the four subjects tested. These numbers represent a single year of data, so there is no trend information available to indicate whether performance is improving or declining. For a family considering this school, these results may be a central point for discussion with school staff about the instructional support and academic interventions in place.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report. Because there is only one school-level comparison available within Tangipahoa Parish, a neighbor comparison looking at overall proficiency across the county’s districts could not be calculated. This is a limitation of the available data rather than a judgment on the school.
A key piece of context for any family in this district comes from recent events at the parish level. In spring 2024, Tangipahoa Parish voters rejected a 15-mill property tax renewal that had funded teacher salaries and school operations, creating a significant revenue gap. This has introduced uncertainty about staffing and program continuity across the district, including at Lucille Nesom Memorial. Separately, the district has launched a literacy initiative tied to Louisiana’s science-of-reading requirements, which is reshaping how early reading is taught and supported in the elementary grades. In late 2023, the district also closed one elementary school in Hammond, a consolidation that has changed school options for some families in the parish.
Housing in the Tickfaw area, as measured by a home value index, places the community in a position near the median for Louisiana and well below the national median for the same period. This makes homeownership more accessible relative to many other parts of the country, though a family’s specific budget will depend on individual circumstances.
For a parent or resident looking at Lucille Nesom Memorial, the core considerations are the school’s academic performance, which is concentrated in the elementary and middle grades and shows limited proficiency on state assessments, combined with the broader financial pressures facing the school district. The school serves a population where a large majority of students come from low-income households, and families will want to understand what academic supports are being prioritized to address the results reflected in the state testing data. The literacy overhaul in K-3 is one concrete initiative underway. The stable, small-town setting of Tickfaw, with its highway-oriented commercial strip and proximity to Hammond, provides the context for daily life around the school.
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