Numerous bright spots were revealed and student success stories reflected throughout Bossier Parish when the Louisiana Department of Education released results from the spring state assessment.

Louisiana Educational Assessment Program (LEAP) scores for Bossier Schools show sweeping district-wide gains across all tested subjects, progress being made in closing achievement gaps among subgroups and three elementary schools posting increases of more than 10-percent, one of which was cited among the top 10 schools in the state for growth. 

“We are glad to be moving the needle in the right direction,” said Mitch Downey, Superintendent of Bossier Schools. “These results are due to a lot of hard work on behalf of school leadership and the dedication of our teachers who invest in our students every day.” 

Across the district, 21 schools showed overall growth in the percentage of students scoring mastery or above.  Three elementary schools made double digit gains, with Sun City being singled out among the top 10 schools in the state for its 15-point improvement. The growth rate for Bellaire and Haughton Elementary Schools soared 11-percent. 

Important strides were also made in subgroup performance. Proficiency increased among the majority of those students, including economically disadvantaged, students with disabilities, Black or African American and Hispanic/Latino. The percentage of military-affiliated students earning mastery or above increased as well.

The largest increases in grade level proficiency were in third grade ELA, with 17 schools raising their proficiency percentages in ELA. Two schools with notable gains were Bellaire Elementary with 21-percent growth and Sun City with 19-percent. Gains were also made in over half of Bossier schools in the areas of mathematics and science.

Other bright spots were the notable gains in proficiency for grades 3-8 and high school, particularly in mathematics. The percentage of students scoring mastery and above in Algebra increased six-percent and Geometry went up seven-percent compared to the previous year. Consistent gains in science proficiency were also noted throughout the district with an increased percentage of students scoring mastery or advanced in grades 3, 4, 5, 7, 8 and high school Biology.  

LEAP 2025 measures a student’s knowledge and skills in core content areas and is used along with school-level data to better individualize instruction and create a learning road map for the forthcoming academic year.

“We still have important work to do to ensure every child is achieving and succeeding, but we are heartened that we are making progress and gaining ground,” Downey added.