A row of red metal lockers lines a school hallway next to a closed wooden door. Photo: Ezekiel See / Unsplash
By Nolan Mckendry | The Center Square
Louisiana students posted the highest overall Mastery rate in state history, but the state’s own data show most students still are not scoring at the level education officials want.
Results from the 2026 Louisiana Educational Assessment Program show 36% of students in grades 3-12 scored Mastery or Advanced, a two-point increase from last year and the highest overall statewide rate on record, according to data released Monday by the Louisiana Department of Education.
The record score still means 64% of Louisiana students tested did not reach Mastery or Advanced, a figure that State Superintendent Cade Brumley acknowledges must be improved.
"We cannot be satisfied and must build on this success as we raise expectations,” Brumley said.
That gap is likely to remain central to the state’s education debate as lawmakers continue putting billions of dollars into public schools through the Minimum Foundation Program, LA GATOR and other initiatives.
The gains are broad. Mastery or Advanced rates improved or held steady in 28 of 31 LEAP-tested courses. In grades 3-8, Mastery rates rose one point in math, two points in social studies and science, and held steady in English language arts.
High school scores increased five points in civics, three points in English II and U.S. history, and two points in Algebra I, while biology and geometry were unchanged.
The statewide 3-12 Mastery rate has climbed from 30% in 2021 to 36% in 2026. Grades 3-8 increased from 29% to 35% over that period, while high school increased from 32% to 36%.
Nearly 9 out of 10 school systems improved or maintained their Mastery rate from 2025 to 2026. Fifty-two systems improved, seven held steady and 10 declined. Ascension Parish posted the highest overall 3-12 Mastery rate at 53%, followed by West Feliciana Parish at 52% and Plaquemines Parish at 51%.
The fastest-growing system was City of Baker, which improved six points, followed by East Feliciana Parish and St. Mary Parish, each up four points.
The improvements in testing and other benchmarks follow significant increases in spending over the last five years. Louisiana’s per-pupil current spending rose from about $11,755 in fiscal 2019 to about $15,581 in fiscal 2024, according to U.S. Census school finance data. That is a roughly 33% nominal increase over five years, though it is just below the national average.
Most of that increase is tied to funding outside the state’s base classroom formula, including temporary federal pandemic aid, local revenues and targeted state add-ons for tutoring, teacher pay, apprenticeships and operating expenses.
Louisiana’s main school funding formula, the Minimum Foundation Program, has kept its base per-pupil amount at $4,015 in recent years. But lawmakers and education officials have continued to layer additional money into the system for specific priorities.
For the 2025-26 school year, fully funding the MFP required about $4.07 billion, a nearly $50 million increase over the prior-year formula budget. That included $30 million for accelerated tutoring, $17.5 million for differentiated teacher compensation and $2 million for apprenticeships and internships.
The state has also steered more money toward academic interventions. High-dosage tutoring, literacy instruction, numeracy programs and workforce pathways have become recurring parts of Louisiana’s education spending debate, with supporters arguing the investments are partly responsible for post-pandemic academic gains.
Louisiana students are improving, but taxpayers are spending more to get there, and most students still remain below the state’s preferred benchmark.