Allen Parish schools maintained their B ranking on school performance scores, with eight of the parish’s 11 schools receiving an A or B letter grade, according to Superintendent Kent Reed.

“I am proud of our little district and things are going well,” Superintendent Kent Reed said. “I think we are going to see an improvement when scores come in next year.”

Overall, the parish outscored the state, earning a school performance score of 84.5, a slight increase from last year’s score of 83.1 and above the statewide overall performance score of 77.1.

“We grew by one-and-a-half points,” Reed said. “We are not satisfied, but we are pleased that we have shown some growth from one year to the next. Obviously we are looking to improve on that. We have been a B for a long time and want to reach 90.”

Elizabeth High, Fairview High and Kinder Elementary were recognized as Top Gains schools. To achieve Top Gains status, students must show exceptional student progress in academic growth.

Three others — Fairview High, Kinder High and Oakdale High — were named Opportunity honorees, which means they show excellence in educating students with disabilities, English learners and economically disadvantaged students.

“This is a credit to all the hard-working teachers and employees who have worked hard to keep us moving forward after a difficult year,”  Reed said, referring to disruptions and learning loss caused by COVID-19 and back-to-back hurricanes. “We have always contended that students do better in the classroom face-to-face.”

High school performance scores are based on LEAP and ACT scores, as well as graduation rates, attendance rates and dropout rates. Elementary and middle school scores focus on LEAP 2025 scores.

Three schools received an A letter grade – Fairview High; Kinder High and Oakdale High.

Those schools earning a B letter grade are Elizabeth High; Kinder Elementary; Oberlin High; Reeves High and Kinder Middle.

Oakdale Elementary and Oberlin Elementary earned a C letter grade with Oakdale Middle School posting a D letter grade.

Letter grades are determined by the current baseline performance score for schools and the current performance score for school districts.

Reed acknowledges that there is always room for improvement.

School officials across the district are studying data from the school performance scores to make plans for next year, he said. They are focusing on the strength and weakness of the district, providing additional support to both educators and students and targeting academic losses from previous years, he said.