4-Peat! New Orleans Outgrows the State Again
The Louisiana Department of Education has released the 2026 LEAP results, and for the fourth year running, New Orleans grew its share of students at Mastery or Above faster than the state. This year’s 3-point gain is the 4th-highest among Louisiana’s 70 school systems.
Performance Gap in K-12 % Mastery or Above, New Orleans vs. Louisiana
New Orleans is Closing the Performance Gap with the State
New Orleans’ 10-point gain since 2022 is the 2nd-largest of all districts in the state and double Louisiana’s overall improvement.
Year-Over-Year Change in K-12 % Mastery or Above, New Orleans vs. Louisiana
For the First Time, New Orleans Outperformed All Three of Its Peer Districts
New Orleans now ranks 35th out of 70 school districts in the state in the percent of students achieving Mastery and above. For perspective, just four years ago in 2022, New Orleans was tied for 52nd, with only 16 school systems ranked lower.
New Orleans High Schools Led the Way
While our K8 schools showed solid growth, the engine behind this year’s growth was our high schools:
- New Orleans tied the state in Algebra I at 43% Mastery, erasing a 4-point gap in a single year.
- The Geometry gap narrowed from 5 points to 2 (28% vs. 30%).
- Three schools drove the math surge: Frederick A. Douglass High School reached 45% math Mastery (up 16 points), Abramson Sci Academy 39% (up 15), and Livingston Collegiate Academy 27% (up 13).
- New Orleans beat the state in Civics (42% vs. 38%) and US History (30% vs. 28%).
- High schools grew 2 points in English while the state was flat, but English remains a challenge. We lag the state by 5 points in English I (36% vs. 41%) and 7 in English II (41% vs. 48%). There is momentum to build on, though: Edna Karr High School (+7), Eleanor McMain Secondary School (+6), and New Orleans Charter Science and Math High School (+6) led the city’s English improvement this year.
Every Subgroup in New Orleans Grew
This year, New Orleans gained 2 points with every subgroup, matching or beating the state’s growth across the board.
And the growth is adding up.
New Orleans exceeds the state in the performance of Black/African American students by 3 points (25% vs. 22% statewide). Our students with disabilities (13%) and English learners (8%) have pulled even with the state. Economically disadvantaged students still trail by 3 points (24% vs. 27%).
2026 New Orleans LEAP Performance by School
The following rankings provide only a snapshot of school performance. School Performance Scores, due in late fall, are a much more robust evaluation of school performance and will incorporate achievement on all tests, student growth, and more.
Educate Now! Is just looking at English and Math and including how schools did on both Mastery AND Basic.
While Mastery is Louisiana’s proficiency goal, when Louisiana launched school accountability in 1999, the state’s goal was for every student to reach Basic. We still have a long way to go in reaching that original goal. In New Orleans, 4 out of 10 students are still performing below Basic and statewide, a third of students perform below Basic.
Congratulations to These Schools for Achieving the Biggest Gains in % Mastery or Above!
New Orleans K-8 Schools Ordered by % Mastery or Above in ELA and Math
Schools are listed in order from highest to lowest by 2026 % Mastery and Above, with % Basic and Above breaking ties.
New Orleans High Schools Ordered by % Mastery or Above in ELA and Math
Not every school moved forward. These schools lost ground this year, but one year does not make a trend. Here’s hoping 2026-27 is a better one.
Biggest Losses in % Mastery or Above, 2025 to 2026 (ELA & Math)
