Pelican State Education Coverage, Driven by Data
Education News & Data
Local education reporting from every corner of Louisiana, grounded in Louisiana Department of Education data.
58 of 79 traditional parish and city school systems recorded their lowest enrollment in the 2019-2026 data window, including seven of the 10 largest.
Among Louisiana's largest parishes, Ascension stands alone for chronic absenteeism consistency: below the state average every year since 2019, with a standard deviation of just 2.1 points.
Caddo, Ouachita, and Rapides parishes lost a combined 10,426 students since 2018-19. Every parish in the article's North Louisiana region declined.
Incoming Woodlawn Middle leader Terran Perry says school culture, community support, and transformation work will define the first year.
East Baton Rouge Parish graduated 76.3% of students in 2025, nearly 9 points below the state average and the lowest rate among Louisiana's major parishes.
Louisiana's Hispanic graduation rate of 72.8% sits nearly 17 points behind white students; after large swings, the gap ended 1 point narrower than in 2018.
Twenty-one Louisiana parishes hit their all-time highest graduation rate in 2025, spanning turnaround stories and established performers, while only 2 regular parishes sit at lows.
Multiracial enrollment grew 41.7% in seven years, outpacing every other racial group. The surge is concentrated in suburban parishes and reflects both demographic change and shifting identity.
Nine Louisiana parishes hit their worst-ever chronic absenteeism rates in 2025, led by Winn Parish at 40.8%, even as the state improved overall.
Among individual New Orleans schools in 2025, chronic absenteeism ranged from near zero at Einstein Charter at Village De L'Est to 70.4 percent at McDonogh 35, against a statewide rate of 22.5 percent.
Orleans Parish hit 82% in 2024 and held above 80% in 2025, but a 34-point gap between white and Hispanic students exposes deep inequity within the all-charter system.
Jefferson Parish enrolls 8,718 English learners at a 19.2% rate, nearly four times the state average and a quarter of Louisiana's EL total.
Louisiana hit a record 85% graduation rate in 2025, but students classified as English learners remain at 51.7%, a 33-point gap unchanged for seven years.
Seven years after the pandemic, 90.5% of Louisiana parishes remain below 2019 enrollment. The deficit is deepening, not closing.
Louisiana's graduation rate for students in foster care climbed from 34.8% to 63.5% since 2018, the largest improvement of any subgroup, though volatility and a 21-point gap remain.
