Leaders for a Better Louisiana say New Orleans students are showing the fastest academic growth in the nation, according to a study out of Stanford University. That’s a dramatic turnaround from before Hurricane Katrina, when more than 60%of New Orleans schools were considered academically unacceptable. Nearly every school in the city is now operated as a charter. Education reform advocate Leslie Jacobs says charter schools alone don’t explain the academic gains.
“What has driven the change, though, is we have an incredible group of talented school leaders and leaders of charter school management organizations,” Jacobs said.
Jacobs says the autonomy given to charter schools has helped attract and retain talented leaders.
“And that autonomy gives schools the control over the curriculum, their budget, the hiring and firing, the culture, the innovation,” Jacobs explained.
The study finds New Orleans students learned nearly 34% more in a school year than the national average between 2022 and 2025.
New Orleans operates primarily as an all-charter school district, and Jacobs says the schools share a common vision for student achievement.
“There is a real mindset that if students aren’t succeeding, it’s the responsibility of the adults in the building,” Jacobs noted.
Jacobs also says the improvement in student achievement has contributed to a decline in crime in New Orleans.