The top reported proficiency rate is 49% in Math. The lowest is 22% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Village East Elementary School
Village East Elementary School, a regular public school in Houma serving students from pre-kindergarten through sixth grade, sits within the Terrebonne Parish School District. The school serves a mid-sized elementary population with a student body that is notably diverse, reflecting the community’s blend of cultural influences. Hispanic students and Black students each make up substantial shares of the enrollment, with a smaller but present group of white students and a moderate share of students who identify as two or more races. A small number of American Indian or Alaska Native students are also enrolled. A large majority of the school’s students qualify for free or reduced-price meals, indicating the school’s role in a community where economic need is widespread.
Houma itself is a city shaped by its industrial base in oil and gas, shipbuilding, and commercial fishing, and it serves as the parish seat and commercial hub. The area’s Cajun, Creole, Native American, and Vietnamese influences are woven into daily life. Downtown Houma offers a walkable historic district with museums and civic institutions, but the broader city and surrounding unincorporated areas like Bayou Cane are car-dependent. The local economy supports a mix of working-class and middle-class households, and housing costs in the school’s immediate area are modest, with a recent downward trend in home values.
On state assessments administered through Louisiana’s LEAP 2025 program, Village East’s results present a mixed picture. In math, roughly half of the school’s tested students scored at the proficient level or above. That is a clear area of relative strength compared to the school’s performance in other subjects. In English language arts, the share of students reaching proficiency is lower, suggesting that literacy skills are an area where the school is working to improve. Science and social studies proficiency rates are even lower, with only about a fifth of students scoring proficient or above in each. A parent looking at these numbers would likely want to ask the school about its approach to reading instruction and science curriculum, especially given that the district adopted a new inquiry-based science curriculum for elementary and middle schools starting in the 2023-2024 school year. All students in the tested grades participated in the assessments, so the results reflect nearly the entire cohort.
Because Village East serves only elementary and middle grades, there is no high school graduation rate to review. The school’s attendance and discipline data were not available from the source materials, so a parent may want to inquire directly about school climate and chronic absenteeism. Similarly, the school’s Title I status and magnet designation were not provided, and information on staffing ratios, course access, and special education services was absent from the data reviewed. The school is not a charter school.
The Terrebonne Parish School District is in a period of significant transition. The school board approved an elementary school rezoning plan that took effect for the 2024-2025 school year, shifting attendance boundaries to address declining enrollment and balance class sizes. Families should confirm their current attendance zone, as assignments may have changed from prior years. More pressingly, the district faces a substantial projected budget deficit for the 2025-2026 school year, driven by declining enrollment, inflation, and the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds. The school board has openly discussed the possibility of school closures, staff reductions, and program cuts to address the shortfall. This means that the availability of programs at Village East and even the school’s long-term operations could be affected. A parent considering this school should closely follow school board discussions and district financial updates.
Compared to the very small set of other districts in Terrebonne Parish, the data was insufficient to place Village East’s proficiency levels in context, as only a single school-level set of results was available for comparison within the county’s districts. The school’s academic performance stands on its own terms: a solid math outcome paired with more challenging results in reading, science, and social studies, set within a district navigating budget pressures and enrollment changes. Village East is a school where families will want to engage directly with staff to understand the specific supports for literacy and content-area learning, and to stay informed about district-level decisions that could reshape their child’s educational setting.
See more original research from School Decision →