Last week the state released the 2026 LEAP results — the year-end tests every public-school student in grades 3 through 12 takes. I want to share them with you directly, because they tell the same story I ran on four years ago: hold the system accountable, invest in the classroom, and the results will follow.
The headline is simple. East Baton Rouge improved in every single subject this year, and posted its strongest post-pandemic performance yet. District-wide, the share of our students scoring Mastery or above rose from 28% to 30% — up in reading, math, science, and social studies alike. In reading, EBR gained ground while the state as a whole stayed flat, and in math our gains outpaced the state’s. In the subjects that matter most, we didn’t just improve — we improved faster than Louisiana overall.
There’s more in the details: Algebra I jumped eight points, cutting a long-standing achievement gap nearly in half in a single year; our Black students climbed to 23% Mastery+, surpassing the statewide average; and three EBR schools landed in Louisiana’s Top 20 for overall performance, with two more in the Top 20 for growth.
Don’t take my word for it. You can read the state’s announcement from the Louisiana Department of Education, and our district’s own breakdown, with Superintendent LaMont Cole’s full report, right here.
Now the honest part, because you deserve the whole picture and not just the good half: on average, our students still test below where we want them — below the state average, and still working back toward national benchmarks. I’m proud of this progress. I’m not satisfied with it. Both of those things are true at the same time, and I’ll always tell you both.
These results belong to our teachers, our principals, our students, and the families behind them — the people doing the hard work every single day. My job as a Board member has been to help set the direction, hire strong leadership, and make the tough calls when they counted — including last year’s school realignment, a difficult but ultimately unanimous vote that moved thousands of students into higher-performing schools and redirected millions of dollars back into classrooms. These scores are an early sign that those calls are working — and they point to what’s next: the 2026 LEAP is the first set of results that will feed this fall’s school report card.
We built something worth continuing. I’m asking for the chance to keep it going and finish the job.
— Patrick