Photo: George Bannister · CC BY 2.0New Orleans’s public schools score below 96% of Louisiana districts on tests and graduation
On-time graduation in New Orleans runs at 15%, below the Louisiana average (83%). The grade covers the public school district serving New Orleans, from kindergarten through graduation, on state tests and graduation. Each state writes its own tests, so this is the one TownRatings grade compared within Louisiana, not nationally.
From Louisiana state tests taken in spring 2022, when 95% of students in the tested grades sat them, and the class of 2023’s four-year graduation rate, as reported to the U.S. Department of Education.
New Orleans’s schools, in brief
Results trail the state
In spring 2022, 34% of tested students were proficient in reading and 15% in math, against 42% and 32% statewide; 95% of students in the tested grades sat the tests. The grade ↓
Graduation
11–19% of the class of 2023 graduated in four years, against 83% across Louisiana (the state reports New Orleans’s rate as a range). Districts ↓
Charters enroll nearly as many students as the district
Charter schools located in New Orleans enroll 46,519 students, against the district’s 2,322. Each is graded on its own results; none is part of the district grade. Every school ↓
Spending and class size
The district spends $50,343 per student, against $15,623 across Louisiana (FY2024). Spending doesn’t count toward the grade. Districts ↓
Written from the figures on this page. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023; each school’s own letter uses 2020–21 results.
What’s behind New Orleans’s grade
D−: better than 4% of Louisiana school districts, last of 162 Louisiana towns. Both inputs trail the Louisiana average; among the 175 Louisiana towns with similar household incomes, New Orleans’s schools place at the bottom.
Where will my kid go?
Pick a grade. These are the public schools that serve New Orleans, with each school’s own grade.
Kindergarten in New Orleans
The Leah Chase School
Grades K–5 · 294 students · 12:1 students per teacher
1st grade in New Orleans
The Leah Chase School
Grades K–5 · 294 students · 12:1 students per teacher
2nd grade in New Orleans
The Leah Chase School
Grades K–5 · 294 students · 12:1 students per teacher
3rd grade in New Orleans
The Leah Chase School
Grades K–5 · 294 students · 12:1 students per teacher
4th grade in New Orleans
The Leah Chase School
Grades K–5 · 294 students · 12:1 students per teacher
5th grade in New Orleans
The Leah Chase School
Grades K–5 · 294 students · 12:1 students per teacher
New Orleans’s public schools are run by Orleans Parish School District. To confirm the school for a specific address, ask the district.
The district
Spending and class size are shown but don’t count toward the grade. Each district’s own page has every school.
Well below the state in reading
New Orleans vs. its neighbors
Schools grades for the Louisiana towns that share New Orleans’s borders.
| Town | Schools | Main districts |
|---|---|---|
| New Orleans | D− | Orleans Parish |
| Gretna | B | Jefferson Parish |
| Westwego | B | Jefferson Parish |
Every school in New Orleans
112 schools. Each public school’s letter compares its own 2020–21 reading and math results with Louisiana’s other public schools (the newest school-level results we have).
1 duplicate private-school records merged.
Questions about New Orleans’s schools
Are New Orleans’s schools good?
On Louisiana’s tests they score below most of the state: the public schools New Orleans children attend score below 96% of Louisiana’s school districts on tests and graduation, a D− Schools grade. Among towns with similar incomes they place at the bottom. Tests are from 2021–22, graduation from the class of 2023.
What school district is New Orleans in?
Orleans Parish School District, which runs grades PK–12 and enrolls 2,322 students in 6 schools (2024–25).
What is New Orleans’s graduation rate?
11–19% of the class of 2023 in Orleans Parish School District graduated in four years, against 83% across Louisiana.
How much does New Orleans spend per student?
$50,343 in Orleans Parish School District (FY2024), against $15,623 across Louisiana. Spending doesn’t count toward the grade.
Are there private schools in New Orleans?
Yes: Mount Carmel Academy (catholic · all-girls, grades 8–12, 1,202 students), Isidore Newman School (nonsectarian, grades PK–12, 1,068 students), Christian Brothers School- Canal Street Campus (Catholic, grades PK–7, 817 students), Holy Cross School (catholic · all-boys, grades PK–12, 806 students), St. Marys Dominican High School (catholic · all-girls, grades 8–12, 776 students), St. Dominic School (Catholic, grades PK–7, 717 students), Academy of the Sacred Heart (catholic · all-girls, grades PK–12, 717 students), St. Augustine High School (catholic · all-boys, grades 8–12, 611 students), St. Marys Academy (Catholic, grades PK–12, 546 students), Ursuline Academy (catholic · all-girls, grades PK–12, 514 students), Holy Name of Jesus School (Catholic, grades PK–7, 512 students), De la Salle High School (Catholic, grades 8–12, 511 students), St. Mary's Academy (Catholic, grades PK–12, 496 students), St. Georges Episcopal School (religious, grades PK–8, 435 students), Louise S McGehee School (nonsectarian · all-girls, grades PK–12, 428 students), Trinity Episcopal School (religious, grades PK–8, 372 students), Ecole Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orleans (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 372 students), Christian Brothers School (catholic · all-boys, grades 5–7, 349 students), Stuart Hall School (catholic · all-boys, grades PK–7, 349 students), Lake Castle Private School (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 336 students), Cabrini High School (catholic · all-girls, grades 8–12, 330 students), St. Stephen Catholic School (Catholic, grades PK–7, 265 students), The Good Shepherd Nativity Mission School (Catholic, grades PK–7, 259 students), St. Leo the Great School (Catholic, grades PK–7, 228 students), St. Alphonsus School (Catholic, grades PK–7, 161 students), St. Michael Special School (Catholic, grades PK, 158 students), St. Katharine Drexel Preparatory School (catholic · all-girls, grades 8–12, 141 students), Bishop McManus Academy (nonsectarian, grades PK–8, 110 students), St. John Lutheran School (religious, grades K–8, 105 students), Cathedral Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades PK–6, 81 students), Calvary Baptist School (religious, grades PK–8, 70 students), St. Benedict the Moor School (Catholic, grades PK–4, 62 students), Life of Christ Christian Academy (religious, grades K–12, 51 students), Aba Healing Academy (religious, grades K–9, 35 students), The Chartwell Center (special education, grades PK–11, 27 students), New Orleans Adventist Academy (religious, grades K–8, 18 students), Raphael Academy (special education, grades , 5 students) and University Montessori School (nonsectarian, grades K, 4 students). New Orleans also has 71 charter schools, free and open by application.
Parents talk
What New Orleans families are saying about school.
Looking for colleges? Colleges near New Orleans → They have their own page.
School data: state test results (2021–22, with participation) and four-year graduation rates (class of 2023) reported to the U.S. Department of Education (EDFacts via ED Data Express); each school’s own letter uses its 2020–21 results (EDFacts via the Urban Institute); schools and enrollment from NCES (2024–25; private schools 2023–24); spending from the Census Bureau’s school finance survey (FY2024). The School Grade is our own summary, graded within Louisiana. Stars are from neighbors.