Every August, as part of No Child Left Behind (NCLB), the state releases a preliminary list of failing schools because most will be required to offer parents the option to transfer their children to another school.
This year, only 9 New Orleans schools are failing. This low number is truly a cause for celebration and reflects the past 7 years of stellar growth.
To determine which schools must provide choice, the state calculates a preliminary School Performance Score (SPS). This year marks a new SPS system with changes in how the scores are calculated.
With a new system, it’s best to compare New Orleans performance to the state, since the system has changed for all schools across the state.
- In 2013, New Orleans has 9 of 112 failing schools in Louisiana (8%).
- In 2005, New Orleans had 66 out of 151 failing schools in Louisiana (44%).
See below for the list of failing schools.
We just need to repeat it: There were only 9 New Orleans schools on the list (and 4 of them are alternative schools).
While New Orleans is a smaller school district post Katrina, the drop in the number failing schools is not tied to our smaller student enrollment.
- In 2005, New Orleans enrolled 9% of Louisiana’s public school students, but we had 44% of the failing schools.
- In 2013, New Orleans enrolled 6% of Louisiana’s public school students, and we have 8% of the failing schools.
Percent of Louisiana Students in New Orleans Schools
New Orleans’ system of schools is among the most improved school districts in the nation, but we still have a long way to go in providing every child with a seat in a high quality school. A key milestone in this journey is to no longer have failing schools. We aren’t there yet, but we have made tremendous progress.
For more information on failing schools read this article in the Times-Picayune.
FAILING SCHOOLS
| 2013 Failing Schools | 2013 Prelim SPS |
2005 Failing Schools | 2005 SPS | |
| 1 | John McDonogh High School | 9.3 | A.P. Tureaud Elementary | 35.5 |
| 2 | Joseph Craig Elementary | 49.2 | Albert Wicker Elementary | 40.8 |
| 3 | McDonogh 42 Elementary | 38.1 | Alcee Fortier High | 17 |
| 4 | Pierre A. Capdau Charter | 48.2 | Andrew H. Wilson Elementary | 49.5 |
| 5 | Walter Cohen High School | 41.4 | Andrew J. Bell Junior High | 19.2 |
| 6 | Crescent Leadership Academy* | 24.8 | Andrew Jackson Elementary | 56 |
| 7 | The NET Charter* | 9.3 | Barbara Jordan Elementary | 58 |
| 8 | ReNEW Accelerated City Park* | 6.1 | Booker T. Washington School | 15 |
| 9 | ReNEW Accelerated West Bank* | 2 | Carter G. Woodson Middle | 50.4 |
| 10 | Carver Middle | 26.4 | ||
| 11 | Charles J. Colton Middle | 26.5 | ||
| 12 | Dr. Charles Richard Drew Elem | 37.7 | ||
| 13 | F.W. Gregory Junior High | 44.6 | ||
| 14 | Fannie C. Williams Middle | 43.5 | ||
| 15 | Fisk-Howard Elementary | 46.4 | ||
| 16 | Florence J. Chester Elementary | 35.9 | ||
| 17 | Frances Gaudet Elementary | 49.4 | ||
| 18 | Fredrick A. Douglass High | 15 | ||
| 19 | G. W. Carver High | 26.5 | ||
| 20 | George O. Mondy, Jr. Elem | 36.3 | ||
| 21 | Harney Elementary | 46.3 | ||
| 22 | Helen S. Edwards Elementary | 47.8 | ||
| 23 | Israel Meyer Augustine Middle | 21.3 | ||
| 24 | James M. Singleton Charter | 42.4 | ||
| 25 | James Weldon Johnson School | 41.9 | ||
| 26 | John A. Shaw Elementary | 44.4 | ||
| 27 | John F. Kennedy Senior High | 26.1 | ||
| 28 | John McDonogh Senior High | 25.1 | ||
| 29 | John W. Hoffman Elementary | 46.3 | ||
| 30 | Johnson C. Lockett Elementary | 41.5 | ||
| 31 | Joseph A. Craig School | 53 | ||
| 32 | Joseph A. Hardin School | 33.6 | ||
| 33 | Joseph S. Clark Senior High | 14.6 | ||
| 34 | Julius Rosenwald Accelerated | 56.4 | ||
| 35 | L.B. Landry High | 36.2 | ||
| 36 | Lafayette Elementary | 44.4 | ||
| 37 | Langston Hughes Elementary | 54.8 | ||
| 38 | Laurel Elementary | 44.5 | ||
| 39 | Lawless High | 30 | ||
| 40 | Lawrence D. Crocker Elementary | 54.6 | ||
| 41 | Livingston Middle | 29.2 | ||
| 42 | Lorraine Hansberry Elementary | 49 | ||
| 43 | Louis Armstrong Elementary | 38.9 | ||
| 44 | Marion Abramson Senior High | 31.2 | ||
| 45 | Martin Behrman Elementary | 49.9 | ||
| 46 | Martin L. King Middle | 41.3 | ||
| 47 | Mary Church Terrell Elementary | 46 | ||
| 48 | McDonogh #28 Middle | 49.5 | ||
| 49 | McDonogh #32 Elementary | 40.1 | ||
| 50 | McDonogh #42 Elementary | 43.8 | ||
| 51 | Milestone SABIS Academy | 55 | ||
| 52 | Morris F.X. Jeff Elementary | 40.8 | ||
| 53 | Murray Henderson Middle | 38.7 | ||
| 54 | N.O. High School Signature Centers | 49.4 | ||
| 55 | O. P. Walker Senior High | 41.1 | ||
| 56 | Oretha Castle Haley Elementary | 47.3 | ||
| 57 | Paul L. Dunbar Elementary | 49.5 | ||
| 58 | Phillis Wheatley Elementary | 33.8 | ||
| 59 | Sarah Towles Reed Senior High | 42.7 | ||
| 60 | Sylvanie F. Williams School | 51.5 | ||
| 61 | Thomas Alva Edison Elementary | 49.3 | ||
| 62 | Valena C. Jones Elementary | 40.3 | ||
| 63 | Village de l’Est Elementary | 54.9 | ||
| 64 | Vorice Jackson Waters Elementary | 40 | ||
| 65 | Walter L. Cohen High | 21.4 | ||
| 66 | William Frantz Elementary | 47 |
Notes:
1. The * Denotes 2013 alternative schools, which together enrolled 678 students in 2012-13.
2. Definition of failing school:
- A failing school in 2005 had a score below 60 out of a possible 200+ points.
- The standard rose between 2005 and 2013. A failing school in 2013 has a score below 50 out of a possible 150 points, and this year’s 50 is roughly equal to a 75 on the old scale.
3. The lists above were developed so a parent with a child at a failing school can decide if they want to choose another school, as required by NCLB. The 2013 list only includes schools that are open for the 2013-14 school year. It does not include schools under new management or schools that are newly opened. For New Orleans, this means 6 schools operating this school year are not included:
- 4 schools that were failing in 2012 and are under new school management for 2013-14: Crocker, Intercultural, Pride, and Schaumberg
- 2 new OPSB schools: Bricolage and Plessy
In 2005, 4 schools were transferred to the RSD and were not included on this list: Green Middle School, Nelson Elementary School, Phillips Middle School, and Sophie B Wright.
Sources:
2005 – LA Department of Education’s August 2005 press release.
2013 – LA Department of Education’s August 2013 preliminary SPS list.