OPELOUSAS — The reports cards are in! The Louisiana Department of Education released this year’s performance scores and letter grades for the state’s public schools and systems.
Seven schools out of 31 in St. Landry Parish have seen improvement but two schools on the list are in talks to either be consolidated, closed or repurposed.
Several schools across the school district celebrated after receiving performance scores and letter grades for this school year—grades that bumped up at least one letter grade or more.
Among those schools are Creswell Middle, which went from an F to a C, and Grand Coteau Elementary, which went from a D to a B.
Schools Superintendent Milton Batiste says the progress came after prioritizing teacher development.
"The first thing that we are trying to do is beef up our professional development so we can put more qualified teachers in front of our students; that is our ultimate goal," said Batiste.
Eunice and Grand Coteau Elementary schools are in talks to be consolidated, repurposed, or closed, but they are two schools that have made improvements.
"No plans have been decided on; it's simply discussions and those schools were mentioned, but for the next meeting, five other schools might be mentioned," said Batiste.
Eunice Elementary jumped from a D to a C, while Grand Coteau jumped from a D to a B.
"I do not want these schools to be labeled or stigmatized by these discussions," Batiste said.
Last week, Batiste pointed out that the reason for consolidating the schools was declining student enrollment over the past few years. Both Opelousas and Creswell Middle Schools currently have only around 100 students enrolled. That is due to a combination of factors, including students attending private and charter schools instead .
To see the full list of the 2024 School performance scores and letter grades click here.
