Public schools in Orleans parish have been steadily improving in the years since Hurricane Katrina, but lost ground this year — according to school performance scores released by the state Tuesday.
Much like students take home report cards, Louisiana’s public schools get graded, too. Orleans Parish schools' letter grade dropped to a C in 2016-2017, down from a B in 2015-2016. The grades are based on how well students perform on standardized tests and a few other measures, like graduation rates and ACT scores. The Orleans Parish grade includes schools overseen by the Orleans Parish School Board and the Recovery School District.
Data show Orleans' grade fell mostly because schools didn’t do as well in bringing struggling students up to grade level, and because the graduation rate dropped to 72.1 percent for the class of 2016, down from 75.5 percent for the class of 2015.
Several charter schools in Orleans Parish earned a D or F for the second year in a row. Persistent low performance can have consequences for charters, including closure.
Both districts are performing behind the state average, which saw overall school performance rise from a C to a B.
Find your school's score
Parents can find out their child's school performance score here. The new online tool from the Louisiana Department of Education allows users to view data from each public school, including the school's letter grade and other data, such as teacher experience and student demographics.