Harlan Kirgan
East Elementary School in Eunice achieved the top grade and score in St. Landry Parish in the Louisiana school performance rankings released Tuesday.
St. Landry Parish maintained a C in the grades, but dropped from 73.1 to 71.7 in its score. The parish ranked 55th in the state out of 70 districts.
The overall state grade was B, an increase from C in 2016. The state score is 86.8, up from 83 in 2016.
East Elementary had an A with a score of 106.2 followed by the Magnet Academy for the Cultural Arts in Opelousas with a score of 106.1 and Palmetto Elementary with a score of 102.2.
Principal Gina LaGrange said the East Elementary faculty has worked hard to keep up with professional development.
She added, “Our students are very hard working and showed a lot of growth in that last state exam.”
Eunice High School moved from a C school to B as its score rose from 81.3 to 92.2.
Highland Elementary raised its grade from D to C and its score jumped from 65.9 to 75.9.
There was cause for celebration, particularly in Eunice schools after the release of the state scores.
Mitchell Fontenot, Eunice High School principal, said, “We are very excited over here. Very proud.”
An announcement of the high school’s grade improvement was made over the school’s public address system and celebrated with a cake in the faculty lounge, he said.
Today was declared a free dress day at the school, he said.
“Our kids were excited, our teachers were excited. It was a long time coming . We’ve been having steady growth over the last few years and it looks like we kind of broke out this time,” Fontenot said.
Four years ago the school had a 75.7 score, which has increased every year, he said.
The state announcement was not a complete surprise, he said, because the school submitted the information.
“We kind of had an idea we should be a B school if everything went right,” he said.
Highland Elementary’s grade improvement from D to C was announced at an assembly shortly after the state Department of Education’s 11 a.m. embargo on the results was lifted.
Lorie Ledoux, principal, had promised to kiss a pig if the school improved its letter grade.
“I think we need to look for a pig. Why? We are a top gain school,” she said at the assembly.
“I’m ecstatic. It is a dream come true. Prayers have been answered. The teachers, faculty and staff have always worked very hard...,” she said.
St. Landry Parish Superintendent Patrick Jenkins did make himself available for comment.
In a news release, Jenkins stated, “Seventy percent, or 23 out of 33, of SLP Schools have a 2017 SPS score of ‘A’, ‘B’, or ‘C’, which is up by 3% from the 2016 report.”
Three St. Landry Parish schools were recognized as Top Gain Schools by the state.
“These schools include Palmetto Elementary, which increased SPS by 12.2 points; Highland Elementary, which increased SPS by 10 points; and Eunice High School, which increased SPS by 10.9 points,” he stated.
Jenkins added, “Over the last three years, high school students’ academic performance on the ACT and Work Keys Assessment has significantly increased from 65.4 in 2015 to 80.8 currently, showing a 15 point improvement over the past three years.”
In Opelousas, the highest scoring school, other the Magnet Academy, was Park Vista Elementary with a C and a score 66.4.
Area 2017 district grades and scores include:
Acadia Parish, B, 90; 2016 -- B, 97.3.
Evangeline Parish, B, 92.5; 2016 -- B, 95.8.
Lafayette Parish, B, 93.8; 2016 --- B, 96.3.
Vermilion Parish, A, 106.3; 2016 -- A, 106.8.
Allen Parish, A, 102.5; 2016 -- B, 97.3.
St. Martin Parish, B, 88.5; 2016 -- B, 89.3.
Iberia Parish, B, 94.8; 2016 -- B, 94.1.
Eunice 2017 grades and scores.
Central Middle School, C, 72.3; 2016 -- C, 74.4.
East Elementary, A, 106.2; 2016 -- B, 98.5.
Eunice Elementary, B, 93; 2016 -- B, 93.8.
Eunice High School, B, 92.2; 2016, C, 81.3.
Eunice Junior High School, C, 73; 2016 -- B, 85.1.
Glendale Elementary, B, 87.3; 2016 -- B, 95.1.
Highland Elementary, C, 75.9; 2016 -- D, 65.9.
Other St. Landry Parish public school grades and scores are:
Cankton, C, 75.4; 2016 -- C, 71.
Grand Coteau Elementary, C, 79.1; 2016 -- C, 70.1.
Grand Prairie Elementary, C, 83.1; 2016 -- B, 88.8.
Grolee Elementary, D, 55.6; 2016 -- D, 60.2.
Krotz Springs Elementary, B, 93.3; 2016 -- B, 85.6.
Lawtell Elementary, C, 75.6; 2016 -- C, 69.1.
Leonville Elementary, B, 96; 2016 -- B, 95.6.
North Elementary, D, 54.7; 2016 -- D, 57.7.
Northeast Elementary, D, 53.7; 2016 -- D, 48.1.
Opelousas Junior High, F, 39.7; 2016 -- D, 49.3.
Opelousas Senior High School, D, 61.5; 2016 -- D, 61.8.
Palmetto Elementary, A, 102.2; 2016 -- B, 90.
Park Vista Elementary, C, 66.4; 2016 -- C, 71.6.
Port Barre Elementary, B, 86.8; 2016 -- B, 88.5.
Port Barre Middle School, C, 82.9; 2016 -- C, 73.
South Street Elementary, D, 43; 2016 -- D, 52.3.
Southwest Elementary, F, 38; 2016 -- F, 40.3.
Sunset Elementary, D, 62.9; 2016 -- D, 66.6.
Washington Elementary, D, 48.4; 2016 -- F, 45.8.
North Central High, C, 70.5; 2016 -- C, 71.4.
Beau Chene High, C, 83.9; 2016 -- C, 84.3.
Northwest High, C, 74.5; 2016 -- C, 76.6.
Arnaudville Elementary, B, 90.6; 2016 -- B, 91.8.
Plaisance Elementary, D, 52.4; 2016 -- D, 62.9.
Port Barre High, C, 84.1; 2016 -- B, 85.7.
Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts, A, 106.1; 2016 -- A, 112.3.