Primary and secondary education
Understanding the landscape of K-12 education in Baton Rouge
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letter from braf’s
ceo chris meyer
With this release of our latest installment of the Opportunity Data Project, I am both hopeful and resolute about the future of education in our city. Baton Rouge has a complex and unique educational landscape, one marked by significant disparities, but also by immense potential for positive change. We cannot ignore the fact that more than 40% of our children are enrolled in D- and F-rated schools. The gap in school quality is stark, and too many families face difficult decisions when it comes to their children’s education.
A prior installment of the Opportunity Data Project revealed that, despite near universal access to publicly funded early learning opportunities for four-year-olds, only one in four students show up ready for kindergarten. Our K-12 public schools — particularly those serving low-income communities — are often stretched to their limits, and students in these schools face greater barriers to success. This reality only strengthens our resolve to make meaningful and lasting improvements. Indeed, it is our responsibility as a community to not only recognize these challenges, but also to act on them with urgency and clarity.
We know this challenge is not insurmountable. Proven solutions and models are already in place that, if scaled and supported, can lead to dramatic improvements. Some of our highest-performing schools are demonstrating what’s possible when students, regardless of their background, are given access to strong academic programs and social capital. These schools are not just educating students — they are breaking cycles of poverty and unlocking potential. We must build on these successes, expanding enrollment and ensuring that more students, particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds, can benefit from these opportunities.
The following report provides a blueprint for the path forward. By focusing on expanding access to high-performing schools, improving early literacy, and tackling chronic absenteeism, we can make a significant difference in the lives of Baton Rouge’s students. These are not abstract goals; they are actionable steps that, with the right investment and community resolve, can change the trajectory of our public education system.
As we look ahead, let us be guided by both a sense of urgency and hope. The work ahead will not be easy, but it is essential. Together, we can create a community system of education that truly serves all of our children — one that provides every student, in every neighborhood, with the opportunities they need to succeed.
Onward,
Chris Meyer
President and CEO
Baton Rouge Area Foundation
INTRODUCTION
East Baton Rouge Parish has the largest population of children of any parish in Louisiana with approximately 75,000 between 5 and 17 years old.1 The local schools that educate these from kindergarten up to 12th grade (K-12) have several unique characteristics.
One of the first things that stands out is the fact that more than one in five local K-12 students attend private schools or are home schooled, which is around four times greater than the national average. There are a number of reasons for this, including the presence of a large Catholic population in south Louisiana.2 The Catholic Church has historically been more active than many other religious organizations in the country in opening schools for children.3 That was certainly true in Baton Rouge. Several of the oldest schools in the parish were started by the local diocese, and the Catholic Church currently operates one of the largest school systems in the parish. 4
Baton Rouge was also the location of one of the longest running desegregation efforts overseen by the federal court system.5 Before the 1960s, the state of Louisiana would not allow Black and White children to attend the same schools. When this discrimination was outlawed, many local White families moved out of the parish or began sending their children to local private schools. In addition, long-distance busing mandated by federal courts and the prevention of new school building construction in some parts of the parish with growing population led even more families to opt out of local public education. 6
Another unique aspect of education in the parish is the relatively recent creation of new school public districts and public charter school options. Baker, Central, and Zachary established new school systems by separating from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System (EBRPSS) in the late 1990s and 2000s.7 These three school systems now teach a total of around 11,000 students.8 The first local charter schools were also established in the late 1990s.9 During the last decade, the number of students enrolled in charter schools increased considerably. Today, around 12,000 students attend a charter school in the parish authorized by one of the local school districts or the state board of education.10
The combination of these unique characteristics means that K-12 education in this parish is far less centralized than in other places in the country. In a typical U.S. city or county, between 90% to 95% of K-12 students attend public schools — usually within a single school district or system — and 5 to 10% attend private schools or are home schooled.11
In East Baton Rouge Parish, approximately 55% of K-12 students attend schools run by EBRPSS, the parish’s largest public school district, which operates both traditional and charter schools. Around 7% attend charter schools overseen by the Louisiana Department of Education, 15% attend public schools in the smaller public districts of Baker, Zachary, and Central, and 22% attend private schools or are homeschooled.12 Students in Catholic schools make up the largest share of those outside of public schools, but there are many other large private schools. For example, Dunham, Episcopal, and Parkview Baptist each have more than 1,000 students enrolled.13
Data is relatively limited on the parish’s private schools, but two things are worth noting. First, private schools in East Baton Rouge seem to be performing well in terms of local graduation rates.14 Second, local private schools enroll very few students from low-income households. Almost all students from low-income families attend public schools in the parish.15
The analyses in the rest of this brief will focus on EBRPSS since it educates the largest number of students in the parish. It is drawn from one of the largest datasets in the United States on local education.
The Baton Rouge Area Foundation and Common Good Labs worked with EBRPSS and the East Baton Rouge District Attorney to assemble data on educational outcomes and involvement in violence among local children, following from previous research of the Opportunity Data Project. This data covers more than 15 years of time and provides a comprehensive perspective on local educational systems within the parish from age 4 to 18.
Public information shared about the parish school system usually examines average data for all EBRPSS students. However, this approach fails to illustrate that there is significant variation in different schools across the system. More in-depth analysis reveals that there are four categories or “tracks” of schools within EBRPSS that are each quite distinct. Some EBRPSS schools are among the best-performing in Louisiana, while others have outcomes significantly below the statewide average.16
Analysis of the unique dataset assembled for this research indicates that local students tend to spend most of their academic career in just a single track and are consistently surrounded by similar peers in their elementary, middle, and high school classes. This suggests that it can be useful to examine each of these four categories of EBRPSS schools individually to better understand how well each track serves local students and what leaders can do to help improve educational outcomes in the parish.17
FOUR ACADEMIC PATHWAYS
# 1. A-rated schools
This track is made up of schools that earned an “A” rating in the most recent evaluations from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Note: Only schools with relevant data published by the state’s Department of Education are included in analyses. Graduation data is based on the most recent cohort (2021-22) and performance grades are based on the most recent assessment (2023). Allother data is drawn from 2023-24 school year.
Source: Analysis of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
The first track of EBRPSS schools is made up of those that earned an A rating in the most recent evaluations from the Louisiana Department of Education. There are 10 schools in this track including Baton Rouge High, Liberty High, McKinley Middle, Sherwood Middle, Baton Rouge Foreign Language Academic Immersion Magnet (FLAIM), and Westdale Heights Academic Magnet (WHAM).18
These schools are among the best in the state. Seven of them have even been named “Blue Ribbon Schools” by the U.S. Department of Education, a national program that recognizes only a few hundred outstanding schools each year.19 Students from low-income families enrolled in these A-rated schools have the best academic outcomes inside EBRPSS, on average. Children from higher-income families also have equally strong academic performance.20
A-rated schools tend to follow a standard model that includes three components:
1. Enrollment by application. These schools are open to students living anywhere in the district so long as they meet basic academic standards and other application requirements.21
2. Balance of students from low-income households and middle-to-high-income households. Around half of their students are low-income and half are higher-income.22
3. Unique value offering. Most also offer unique learning opportunities that families can’t find at other public or private schools in the parish, such as foreign language immersion, high-quality arts instruction in a large number of disciplines, or broad selections of honors and advanced placement classes.23
Enrollment in this group of schools has increased by around 40% in the last decade. This was due primarily to Baton Rouge High expanding its capacity, Liberty High relaunching with an enrollment by application model similar to Baton Rouge High, and the FLAIM program for language immersion experiencing significant growth.24
The Baton Rouge Area Chamber recently noted that more higher-income families are enrolling their children in EBRPSS schools.25 This is mostly due to the aforementioned schools, which use unique value offerings to attract students from higher-income families.26
The 10 A-rated schools perform well across a number of metrics tracked by the state.27
Graduation rates are nearly 100%. Almost all the students who start ninth grade at one of the high schools in this track graduate in four years, which is above the statewide average of 83%.
Eighth grade math competency is relatively high. Approximately 56% of students in these middle schools scored at the mastery level or better in eighth grade math tests, which is around three times better than the statewide average.
Third grade literacy is also very strong. Around 83% of third-grade students in the elementary schools in this group read at the level of mastery or better, which is the performance standard set by the Louisiana Department of Education. By comparison, the statewide average among all third-graders in public schools is 44%.
Chronic absenteeism is also very low. Only around 5% to 7% of students missed 15 or more days of school in recent years.
Why are these schools so successful? One of the most likely reasons is that these schools enable all students to benefit from high levels of social capital. Research from Harvard University has shown that when students from low-income households attend schools where larger numbers of students from both lower- and higher-income families form friendships, they have better outcomes.28Studies have also found that having a critical mass of parents from higher-income families provides additional resources to schools through organizations like parent-teacher associations.29
# 2. C-rated high schools and their feeders
This track is made up of the three C-rated high schools within EBRPSS as well as their feeder middle and elementary schools.
Note: Only schools with relevant data published by the state’s Department of Education are included in analyses. Graduation data is based on the most recent cohort (2021-22) and performance grades are based on the most recent assessment (2023). Allother data is drawn from 2023-24 school year.
Source: Analysis of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
The second track is organized around the three C-rated high schools in the parish school system. It includes these schools — Woodlawn, Scotlandville, and Northeast — as well as their primary feeder middle schools — also named Woodlawn and Scotlandville (Northeast High operates as a 6-12) — and their primary feeder elementaries, such as Woodlawn Elementary, Northeast Elementary, Crestworth, Parkview, and Shenandoah.30
The schools in this group are located at the northeast, northwest, and southeast corners of the school district and share two major characteristics.
1. Neighborhood school models. All of these schools operate primarily as neighborhood schools at the edges of EBRPSS’ boundaries in the northeast, northwest, and southeast parts of the parish. Some also have small magnet programs that serve a subset of the general student body.31
2. Significant numbers of students from lower-income families. About 82% of children in this track are economically disadvantaged.32
These schools have about 15% fewer students today than they did a decade ago.33 In terms of performance, they are similar to those of the district as a whole.34
Four-year graduation rates are 76% on average. All three high schools perform very similarly in this regard, at a level slightly below the statewide average of 83%.
Eighth grade math competency is similar to the state average. Around 22% of students scored at the level of mastery or better on eighth grade math tests in the middle schools in this group. The state average for this measure in 23%.
Third grade literacy is slightly lower than the statewide average. Around 40% of third-grade students read at or above the level of mastery or better in elementary schools in this track, compared to 44% of all public-school students in the state.
Chronic absenteeism is high. Approximately 15% to 30% of students in this track missed 15 or more days of school in recent years.
As the state data suggests, students in this track have educational outcomes that are relatively average for the Louisiana, even though their student population has a significantly higher population of economically disadvantaged students.
# 3. D-or-F-rated high schools and their feeders
This track is made up of the six D- and F-rated high schools within EBRPSS as well as their feeder middle and elementary schools.
Note: Only schools with relevant data published by the state’s Department of Education are included in analyses. Graduation data is based on the most recent cohort (2021-22) and performance grades are based on the most recent assessment (2023). Allother data is drawn from 2023-24 school year.
Source: Analysis of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
The third track contains the largest number of students in EBRPSS and is made up of the D- and F-rated high schools in the system and their associated feeder schools. This includes six high schools — Belaire, Broadmoor, Glen Oaks, Istrouma, McKinley, and Tara — as well as their primary feeder middle schools — Capitol, Park Forest, Glasgow, Southeast, and Westdale — and their primary feeder elementaries, such as LaBelle Aire, Melrose, and Merrydale.35
These schools also have two important characteristics in common.
1. Neighborhood school models. All of these schools operate primarily as neighborhood schools, though some also have gifted or magnet programs that serve a small proportion of their students.36
2. Very large numbers of students from lower-income families. Around 90% of children in this track are economically disadvantaged.37
Enrollment in this track of schools has declined by almost one third in the last 10 years.38 In terms of performance, most of these schools are below the district average.39
Four-year graduation rates are just 64% on average. This varies somewhat by high school, with the best graduating around 67% in four years and the worst graduating less than 60%. However, all are substantially lower than the statewide average of 83%.
Eighth grade math competency is significantly lower than the state average. Only 14% of students scored at the level of mastery or better in eighth grade math tests in the middle schools in this group, which is less than the average of 23% for all public schools in the state.
Third grade literacy is also lower than the statewide average. Around 34% of students read at or above the level of mastery in third grade in elementary schools in this track, compared to 44% of all public-school students in the state.
Chronic absenteeism is high. Approximately 20% to 30% of students in this track missed 15 or more days of school in recent years.
# 4. Charter schools
This track is made up of local charter schools operated by EBRPSS, often referred to as type 1 charter schools.
Note: Only schools with relevant data published by the state’s Department of Education are included in analyses. Graduation data is based on the most recent cohort (2021-22) and performance grades are based on the most recent assessment (2023). Allother data is drawn from 2023-24 school year.
Source: Analysis of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
The fourth track of schools is made up of schools that operate as “type 1” charter schools within EBRPSS, meaning they are authorized by the EBRPSS school board and operate via contract based on performance and enrollment. The charters under EBRPSS include Basis, CSAL, IDEA, The Emerge School, and Inspire Charter Academy.40
These charter schools share a number of characteristics in common.
1. Open enrollment models. All are also completely open enrollment and accept children from across the district.41
2. Very large numbers of students from lower-income families. Around 86% of their pupils come from economically disadvantaged households.42
3. Initial focus on K-5. They predominantly serve students in elementary grades, though several are gradually adding middle and high school grades.43
Enrollment in these type 1 charter schools has increased significantly — more than tripling from around 2,000 students in 2013 to nearly 7,000 in 2023.44 Most of this growth has come from the opening of new schools and seems to have primarily drawn in students who otherwise would have likely attended schools in the second and third tracks discussed on the previous two pages.
In terms of performance, most of these schools are at or below the district average.45
Third grade literacy is lower than the statewide average. Around 35% of students read at or above the level of mastery in third grade in elementary schools in this track, compared to 44% of all public-school students in the state.
Chronic absenteeism is moderate. Between 13% to 17% of students missed 15 or more days of school in recent years.
Since schools in this track primarily teach elementary students, evaluations of middle and high school performance are not yet relevant. Data also indicates that the best- performing charter schools, such as Basis, perform as well as the A-rated schools and also maintain a similar enrollment mix of 50% students from higher-income families and 50% students from low-income families.
We can compare data on these schools that are run by EBRPSS with with “type 2” charter schools that are chartered directly by the state and run independently from any local school system or district. Around 5,000 students in the parish are enrolled in type 2 charters in the community, which means that a total of around 12,000 children in East Baton Rouge now attend a type 1 or type 2 charter school.46
The type 2 charter schools include Advantage Charter, Collegiate Baton Rouge, GEO Prep, Impact Charter, Louisiana Key Academy, and Madison Prep. They all operate using open enrollment models and also have high proportions of students from low-income families.47
The school performance grades for these charters are slightly higher than those run by the district, on average.48 Several have earned B’s and the most common grade is a C. In terms of third-grade literacy, 36% of third graders at these schools read at or above the level of mastery. High school graduation data is only available for a single school, Collegiate, but its performance is similar to the C-rated neighborhood schools in track #2.
Conclusion and
recommendations
EBRPSS educates more than 50% of K-12 students in the parish. As the analyses on the previous pages demonstrate, leaders who wish to improve educational outcomes among these students should recognize the differences in the four tracks that children follow within the system. 48
The unique data used in these analyses also reveals another important fact about local student performance. Almost all the children who do not read at the expected level in third grade or reach mastery in math proficiency in eighth grade live in low- income households and are concentrated in schools where the majority students share the same background. This is also true of students who drop out of high school.49
Students from low-income families often face challenges outside of the classroom that other children do not. They are more likely to have parents who did not graduate from high school or suffer from health and environmental challenges. They are also more likely to be exposed to violence in their communities.50
Efforts to improve K-12 educational outcomes in the parish should focus on better supporting and teaching these students. It is obvious that these children have the potential to succeed based on the evidenced from thousands of students from low-income families who are enrolled in mixed- income schools like Basis, Baton Rouge High, Sherwood Middle, and WHAM and are performing far above the state average.
Where do students from low-income families have the most success?
Source: Analysis of data from the East Baton Rouge Parish School System and the Louisiana Department of Education.
So, how can civic leaders in Baton Rouge help students in the underperforming tracks achieve better educational outcomes? The findings in this brief suggest that leaders should do three things.
#1. Build on the best local successes to increase enrollment in A-track schools, so more students from disadvantaged backgrounds benefit from social capital and specialized learning opportunities.
As the charts above illustrate, students from low-income families in EBRPSS have better performance on literacy and math exams when they attend mixed-income schools. National research has shown that the income mix of a student body is one of the best predictors of academic success.51 Studies have also linked improved performance of children from poorer households in mixed-income schools to the fact that they offer all students higher levels of social capital, such as professional networks that can help them find jobs after graduation.52
EBRPSS has an impressive record for increasing enrollment in A-rated schools during the last decade. There are several opportunities to build on the growth of Liberty High and Baton Rouge High. One obvious example is to extend the FLAIM program to include a dedicated middle school and high school in the coming years. Continuing to grow high-performing programs like FLAIM, WHAM, McKinley Middle, and other promising models that maintain mixed-income student bodies is one of the most important steps leaders can take to ensure more students from low-income households succeed.
#2. Improve literacy skills by identifying the students at greatest risk of failing to read by third grade and providing them with additional support and tutoring.
Third-grade literacy is critical for a child’s future academic success. As previous briefs for the Opportunity Data Project have noted, from kindergarten through third grade children must learn to read because after third grade they must read to learn.53 Failure to read by the end of third grade is associated with higher rates of dropping out of high school and future behavioral challenges among students.
Data from EBRPSS shows that many students from low-income backgrounds in the parish fail to read at the expected level by third grade. This is especially common among those at the feeder elementary schools for D- and F-rated high schools, where around 90% of students are economically disadvantaged.
The unique data and analyses created for this research indicate that it is possible to determine which children in earlier grades of elementary school are most at-risk of failing to read well by third grade. The most powerful predictorsof challenges in reading by third grade include low levels of readiness for kindergarten at the beginning of a child’s first school year, behavioral difficulties in the classroom, and whether a child grows up in a low-opportunity zip code, where young people are more likely to grow up in poverty.54 Local leaders can use factors like these to identify the students who should receive greater levels of support and connect them with individualized tutoring and similar programs, such as the Steve Carter tutoring program and the High Dosage tutoring program promoted by the state’s Department of Education.
#3. Reduce chronic absenteeism so that more students can benefit from classroom instruction and other enrichment programs in local schools.
Chronic absenteeism, defined in Louisiana as missing more than 15 days of school in a single academic year, has surged in schools across the country since the COVID-19 pandemic. Increased absenteeism significantly harms academic performance. Students missing large numbers of school days are more likely to fall behind, leading to lower grades, decreased engagement, and higher dropout rates.55
Chronic absenteeism also affects students’ social and emotional well-being. Regular school attendance provides children with opportunities for social development and emotional support.
As the analyses on earlier pages noted, in many EBRPSS schools between one in six and one in three children are chronically absent. This is a particular challenge in schools that have the highest proportions of economically disadvantaged students. Those who are chronically absent over multiple years can end up missing the equivalent of an entire semester of school by the time they reach sixth grade.
Many parishes in the state with similar student populations have much lower rates of chronic absenteeism, which suggests that it is possible for Baton Rouge to drastically improve. Research also indicates that there are a number of effective programs developed in other cities that could be used in EBRPSS. This includes systems for identifying the most at-risk students to provide them with additional support, outreach to children’s guardians, and mentorship programs for students who are chronically absent.56
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Religious composition of adults in Louisiana.
U.S. Catholic Schools and the Religious Who Served in Them (Jacobs).
Diocese of Baton Rouge Catholic Schools 2022-2023 Annual Report.
Baton Rouge Desegregation Case Ends. (Nossiter)
Ibid.
In Baton Rouge, a familiar story as school district fractures. (Zubrzycki)
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
One of first charter schools in Baton Rouge closing in May due to low enrollment. (Lussier)
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education and individual private schools.
Ibid.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Ibid.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Blue Ribbon
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Baton Rouge Hits 10-Year High in Middle- to Upper-Income Parents Choosing Public Schools.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Ibid.
Social capital I: measurement and associations with economic mobility. (Chetty et al.)
The Power of a Wealthy PTA. (Cope)
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education and the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Ibid.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education and the East Baton Rouge School System.
Ibid.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Ibid.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education and the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Ibid.
Ibid.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education and the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education and the East Baton Rouge School System.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the Louisiana Department of Education.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Parents’ Low Education Leads to Low Income, Despite Full-Time Employment;
Higher air pollution in low-income areas affects early childhood development (Steimer);
School-Level Economic Disparities in Police-Reported Crimes and Active Commuting to School (Burford et al.).
School poverty – not racial composition – limits educational opportunity, according to new research at Stanford.
Social capital I: measurement and associations with economic mobility. (Chetty et al.)
The Geography of Opportunity.
Common Good Labs analyses of data from the East Baton Rouge School System.
Why so many kids are still missing school. (Chineas)
Strategies to Address Chronic Absenteeism.