ReNEW Laurel Elementary vs Homer Plessy Community School

ReNEW Laurel Elementary and Homer Plessy Community School rank among the strongest elementary schools in Louisiana, separated by just 0.4 points overall — 9.7/10 for ReNEW Laurel against 9.3/10 for Homer Plessy. That gap is narrow, but the state context sharpens it: ReNEW Laurel Elementary sits at #2 of 1,288 schools statewide, while Homer Plessy Community School holds #11 of 1,288. Both schools clear any reasonable bar for academic quality, but families seeking the absolute top of Louisiana's rankings will find ReNEW Laurel slightly ahead.

The clearest academic difference is in proficiency scores: ReNEW Laurel Elementary posts a 9.6/10 academic score against Homer Plessy Community School's 8.6/10 — a full point gap that reflects a meaningful difference in tested outcomes. Growth flips that picture. Homer Plessy Community School scores a perfect 10.0/10 on student growth versus ReNEW Laurel's already-strong 9.7/10. That means Homer Plessy's students are advancing at the fastest measurable pace in the state, even if their absolute proficiency baseline starts slightly lower. Families prioritizing how much a school accelerates a child's trajectory will find Homer Plessy's growth score harder to beat.

On demographics and class size, the two schools are nearly identical in structure but differ in population. ReNEW Laurel Elementary enrolls 649 students with a 12.2:1 student-teacher ratio; Homer Plessy Community School enrolls 768 students at a marginally tighter 12.0:1 ratio — essentially the same. The more notable difference is economic composition: ReNEW Laurel Elementary serves 89% free/reduced-lunch students compared to 61% at Homer Plessy Community School. ReNEW Laurel's high academic scores alongside that 89% FRL rate make it an especially strong equity story, achieving near-top-state results with a predominantly high-need population.

Both schools serve the same grade span — PK through 08 — so families get a full elementary-through-middle pathway at either campus without a mid-run school change. Sitting just 2.6 miles apart in New Orleans, the choice between them is one of emphasis rather than access: high absolute proficiency at ReNEW Laurel or maximum growth momentum at Homer Plessy.