The latest LEAP results show continued academic momentum across New Orleans public schools, with students making gains across all grades, subjects, and major student groups.

This year’s results mark Orleans Parish’s fifth consecutive year of growth in the percentage of students earning Mastery or above across all LEAP-tested subjects. Overall, New Orleans improved by three percentage points, outpacing the state’s two-point gain and making Orleans one of only 11 districts statewide to improve by that much.

This growth is part of a larger story. Orleans demonstrates stronger post-COVID-19 academic recovery than the state and any large peer district, now surpassing its performance on the 2019 LEAP tests by six percentage points.

In 2021, Orleans ranked 55th out of 71 districts for the percentage of students earning Mastery or above. Today, New Orleans ranks 36th out of 71 school districts statewide. This progress reflects the work happening every day inside schools across the city. Educators, school leaders, students, and families have continued to push forward, and the results show that New Orleans students are not only recovering from pandemic-era disruptions, but they are building on the progress our city has made.

New Orleans Closes the Gap with Peer Districts

This year’s results also show an important milestone: New Orleans is now outperforming all other large peer districts in the percentage of students earning Mastery or above across all LEAP-tested subjects, even while serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students.

Performance improved for all major student groups, including Black students, Hispanic students, economically disadvantaged students, English learners, and students with disabilities.

Black students in New Orleans continue to outperform their counterparts statewide and in peer districts in the percentage earning Mastery or above across all subjects and grades. Students with disabilities and English learners in New Orleans have also pulled even with the state. This reminds us that while New Orleans is moving in the right direction, continued investment and support are needed to ensure every student has access to a strong school and the resources they need to succeed – the work is not done.

High Schools Helped Drive This Year’s Growth

New Orleans high schools were a major driver of this year’s progress. Several high schools helped lead the city’s math gains. Frederick A. Douglass High School reached 45% math Mastery, a 16-point increase. Abramson Sci Academy reached 39%, up 15 points. Livingston Collegiate Academy reached 27%, up 13 points.

New Orleans students outperformed the state in Civics and U.S. History, and high schools also grew by two points in English. Several schools showed strong momentum, including Edna Karr High School, Eleanor McMain Secondary School, New Orleans Charter Science and Mathematics High School, and Sophie B. Wright Institute, each of which helped lead the city’s English improvement this year.

What These Results Tell Us

The latest LEAP results show that New Orleans public schools are continuing to move in the right direction. The city is improving faster than the state overall, gaining ground compared to peer districts, and seeing growth across every major student group.

They also show where continued focus is needed. Math and English remain critical areas for improvement, especially as students move into high school. Economically disadvantaged students still trail the state, and sustained progress will require continued attention to strong instruction, targeted academic support, and the resources schools need to meet student needs. But the overall direction is clear: New Orleans students are making meaningful progress, and schools are building on that momentum.

Look Ahead: A New Accountability System Is Coming

This year’s LEAP results are especially important because Louisiana is preparing to implement a new statewide school accountability system. Beginning with the release of School Performance Scores this fall, the state’s new “Grow. Achieve. Thrive.” framework will become the official way Louisiana evaluates and grades public schools. Under this framework, LEAP scores will be weighted more heavily than before for certain grades.

The new system is intended to make school performance easier for families and the public to understand. For elementary and middle schools, the new score will be based on student growth and achievement. For high schools, the score will include growth, achievement, and college and career readiness measures, with high school LEAP performance carrying more weight than it did under the previous system.

Because of this shift, some school letter grades may look different this year, even when students are continuing to make progress. A change in a school’s letter grade will not mean that students are learning less, that educators are working less effectively, or that schools are moving in the wrong direction. 

That context matters for New Orleans. The academic gains we are seeing are real, and they should remain central to how we understand school progress. The new system will raise expectations and create new challenges for schools across the state. But a different accountability label does not erase the progress students are making. It makes it even more important to look closely at the data, understand what has changed, and continue supporting schools as they build on the academic momentum already underway.

The latest LEAP results show that New Orleans is entering this new accountability era with momentum. Now, the work is to build on it.