Elementary Schools in City of Baker School District

The City of Baker School District in Louisiana is home to two elementary schools: Baker Heights Elementary School and Park Ridge Academic Magnet School. While both schools serve predominantly African American student populations with high rates of free and reduced-price lunch, Park Ridge Academic Magnet School stands out as the higher-performing institution in the district.

Park Ridge Academic Magnet School consistently ranks higher in the statewide SchoolDigger rankings, with a ranking of 385 out of 675 Louisiana elementary schools for the 2023-2024 school year, compared to Baker Heights Elementary School's ranking of 652 out of 675. This performance gap is reflected in the schools' test scores, with Park Ridge having 52% of students proficient or better in mathematics, compared to just 21% at Baker Heights and 26% for the City of Baker School District overall. Additionally, Park Ridge boasts a more favorable student-teacher ratio of 15.5, compared to 21.1 at Baker Heights.

While both schools face socioeconomic challenges, with high rates of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, the data suggests that the magnet school model employed at Park Ridge may be more effective in improving student outcomes within the district. However, the overall low performance of the City of Baker School District, with both schools ranking in the bottom half of Louisiana elementary schools, indicates that the district as a whole may need to implement comprehensive strategies to address these educational challenges and provide all students with the opportunity to succeed.