The top reported proficiency rate is 28% in English language arts. The lowest is 18% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on E. S. Richardson Elementary School
E. S. Richardson Elementary School in Minden, Louisiana, serves fourth and fifth graders in the Webster Parish public school system. It is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and its enrollment of just under three hundred students makes it a mid-sized elementary for its grade band. The student body is majority Black, with a substantial share of white students and a small number of multiracial and Hispanic students. The school does not report data on students with disabilities or English learners, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about how those populations are supported.
The community it sits in, Minden, is a small city about a half hour east of Shreveport and the seat of Webster Parish. The historic Main Street district is on the National Register of Historic Places and is a Louisiana Main Street Community, giving the downtown some walkable commercial frontage. But the city as a whole is low-density and car-dependent, with most residents commuting by car. The local economy leans on retail, healthcare, and social assistance. Minden is experiencing a population decline that has been steady over the past decade, and home values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks. The housing market is relatively affordable by national measures, which may matter to families considering a move.
On state testing, E. S. Richardson’s performance is an area a parent would want to understand in detail. The school participates in Louisiana’s LEAP 2025 assessments, and all tested students took the exams. In both math and English language arts, about a quarter of students scored at the proficient level or above. In science and social studies, the share was lower, around one in five students meeting that bar. These are not strong numbers compared to where many families hope their child’s school will land. Across all subjects tested, the school’s proficiency rates are modest, and a parent may want to ask what the school is doing to raise achievement, particularly in the upper elementary years when foundational gaps can widen.
The school does not serve high school grades, so there is no graduation rate to report, and program offerings beyond the core curriculum were not available in the data. Civil rights, discipline, and attendance information were also absent. A parent may want to ask about the school’s approach to student behavior and whether there is a strong attendance culture, since those factors often shape the classroom environment as much as test scores do.
Because E. S. Richardson is the only school at this grade band in Webster Parish, there is no county-level comparison to offer. But within the broader state context, the performance pattern here places the school at a point where many families would want to dig deeper. The school serves a high-need population, with a majority of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, and it is operating in a district for which no recent major changes or initiatives were publicly identified. That does not mean nothing is happening, but it does mean a parent may need to reach out to the school or district office to learn about current improvement efforts, after-school support, or enrichment opportunities that go beyond what the testing data captures.
For a family considering E. S. Richardson Elementary, the key factors are the school’s size, its demographic profile, and the academic results. The school is small enough that a child is not likely to get lost in the crowd, but the proficiency data suggests that many students are not yet meeting grade-level expectations. A parent whose child is on grade level or ahead may want to ask about differentiation and advanced work. A parent whose child needs additional support may want to ask about interventions and tutoring. The community context of Minden, with its declining population and affordable housing, matters for the long-term outlook, but on a day-to-day basis it is the classroom experience that will define whether this school fits.
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