Ouachita Parish Schools Continues to Outperform State on LEAP Assessments, Shows Growth Across Key Areas

Ouachita Parish Schools Continues to Outperform State on LEAP Assessments, Shows Growth Across Key Areas

Ouachita Parish Schools continues to demonstrate strong academic achievement, according to new assessment data released on Monday by the Louisiana Department of Education. 

Overall, Louisiana has seen more students achieve Mastery and above on the LEAP in state history.

Ouachita Parish School System’s LEAP proficiency increased by 1 percentage point, maintaining a proficiency rate higher than the Louisiana state average. These results include LEAP assessments in grades 3-8 for English Language Arts (ELA), mathematics, science, and social studies, as well as all high school LEAP-tested subjects.

Ouachita Parish Schools had 76 perfect LEAP scores – an increase from 46 last year and includes a district-high of 23 perfect scores in ELA for Grades 3-8.

“The release of our state assessment results is always an important milestone, and we are encouraged by the continued growth we are seeing across our tested grade levels,” Superintendent Todd Guice said. “These results reflect the hard work, commitment, and perseverance of our students, teachers, school leaders, and support staff throughout the year.”

Students in grades 3-8 achieved an overall LEAP proficiency rate of 38%, which is 3 percentage points higher than the state average.

• ELA: 47% proficiency, 4 percentage points above the state average.
• Math: 35% proficiency, 1 percentage point above the state average.
• Science: 35% proficiency, 4 percentage points above the state average.
• Social Studies: 36% proficiency, 3 percentage points above the state average.

“While state test scores are just one measure of student success, these results show that our students’ and teachers’ hard work and dedication are paying off,” said Maribeth Holzer, Assessment & Accountability Supervisor (K-8). “Our growth in scores represents hard work, perseverance, and a commitment to learning. We are committed to continuing this growth to support each student.” 

High school students continued the district's strong performance with an overall LEAP proficiency rate of 40%, also 3 percentage points above the state average. Individual subject results include:

• English I: 45% proficiency, 4 percentage points above the state average.
• English II: 50% proficiency, 2 percentage points above the state average.
• Algebra I: 53% proficiency, 10 percentage points above the state average.
• Geometry: 31% proficiency, 1 percentage point above the state average.

“I'm incredibly proud of our high school teachers and leaders,” said Haley Holley, OPSB Assessment & Accountability Supervisor (9-12). “Their dedication to students and commitment to high-quality, standards-aligned instruction are evident in these preliminary results. The growth we're seeing in our high schools is a direct reflection of their hard work every day!”

The district also saw encouraging gains among student subgroups. Overall proficiency for both Special Education students and English Language Learner (ELL) students increased by 1 percentage point, with both groups continuing to outperform their respective state averages.

Ouachita Parish Schools also ranked among the state's highest-performing districts in several academic areas. Overall district proficiency in English Language Arts, science, and social studies places the district in the top 30% statewide.

“While we are pleased with many areas of improvement, we are not satisfied,” Guice said. “At Ouachita Parish Schools, we believe there is always room to grow, and we remain committed to expecting excellence in every classroom, every school, and every student. Our teams are already carefully analyzing these results to identify both our strengths and the areas where we can continue to improve as we prepare for the 2026-2027 school year.”

The 2026 LEAP results are the first that will contribute to School Performance Scores under Louisiana’s revised accountability system, Grow. Achieve. Thrive. LEAP data is a measure used to calculate School Performance Scores, which help provide a broader picture of school and system performance.

The data released on Monday is just one piece to the overall accountability picture. The overall district performance score will be released in early fall.

“I could not be more proud of our outstanding teachers, staff, and students,” Guice said. “Their dedication to continuous improvement and their willingness to push for excellence each day are making a difference. We celebrate the progress we have made, but we also recognize that our work continues. Together, we will build on this momentum as we strive to provide every student with the highest quality education possible.”