SPENO: 2019-2020

Who attends public schools in New Orleans?

As of October 2019, there were 49,574 K-12 students enrolled in public schools in New Orleans. Students and families apply to schools through a common enrollment system called OneApp (the process is explained more fully later in the report). The city’s schools serve primarily students of color (89.6%) and/or students from economically disadvantaged backgrounds (83.4%). While the majority of the city’s public school students are Black (76.4%), there has been an increase in the number of White and Latinx students in New Orleans public schools in recent years. Enrollment in New Orleans public schools remains largely segregated along racial and socioeconomic lines. The relatively small percentage of White students in New Orleans public schools are largely concentrated in A and B schools, and selective admissions schools (75% of White students attend an A or B school). Meanwhile, fewer than 5% of White students attend a D or F school. Conversely, almost half of Black and Latinx students (45% and 46%, respectively) attend C schools, while another 30% of Black students and 20% of Latinx students attend D/F schools. Less than a quarter (24%) of Black students and roughly one third (33%) of Latinx students attend A/B schools.

New Orleans public schools have been segregated along racial and socioeconomic lines for decades. While the past decade has brought some progress in the racial and socioeconomic integration of the city’s public schools, it has been a small shift rather than widespread change. Another factor contributing to school segregation is that the city has a number of high-performing, selective admissions schools that have been in operation for decades. These schools require students to pass an academic test to be eligible for enrollment and are not currently a part of the city’s common enrollment system. They have historically served an over-representation of White students from higher-income households and continue to do so today.

Finally, New Orleans has one of the highest private school enrollment rates in the country, with an estimated 25% of the city’s students enrolled in private schools. A notable number of the city’s middle and upper class families send their children to private schools, further contributing to the over-representation of students from low-income households in New Orleans public schools.

• Enrollment in New Orleans public schools continues to increase but remains below pre-Katrina levels.

• Nearly all public school students in the city now attend public charter schools.

• The vast majority of New Orleans public school students are Black (76.4%) and, as has been the trend in recent years, the percentage of White and Latinx students enrolled in New Orleans public schools continues to increase.

• The vast majority of New Orleans public school students are from low- income households.

• Approximately 5.5% of New Orleans public school students are English Language Learners. This is higher than the state average but considerably lower than the national average.

• Inequities persist with regards to accessing schools with high letter grades. The relatively small percentage of White students in New Orleans public schools is largely concentrated in A and B schools (75% of White students attend an A or B school). Meanwhile, less than 5% of White students attend a D or F school.