For the past several months, state K-12 education officials have touted Louisiana’s climb to 32nd in the nation, as measured by the National Assessment of Educational Progress (NAEP). And rightly so—let’s give credit where credit is due. For the past decade, the Louisiana Department of Education (LDOE) and the State Board of Elementary and Secondary Education (BESE) have focused policymaking, financial resources, and supports on things having the greatest potential to increase student achievement: high-quality instructional materials, teacher training and support (for new and experienced educators), and the fundamentals needed for students to master reading and math.

The gains have emerged during a sweeping national movement to give families greater agency to choose and access—using a portion of their tax dollars—public and non-public schools and education service providers to meet their child’s individual needs. This has caused some many individuals, including policymakers, to ask whether school choice and educational freedom should continue to be a priority in Louisiana.

An “inherent conflict?”

In a recent legislative committee meeting, senate president Cameron Henry, who refused to fund Louisiana’s new LA GATOR program at the administration’s recommended amount of $93.5 million,  told state superintendent of education Cade Brumley, “You’re doing very well [at improving public education]. Do you see a conflict in that you’re also navigating a program that takes kids out of the system that you’re working so hard to improve and puts them into private schools?” He went on to say, “I get the strange feeling you probably spend more time discussing this than you do the numerous other roles that you have.”

Not to burst anyone’s bubble, but Louisiana’s gains still leave much to be desired. Even state superintendent of education Cade Brumley, when announcing gains, said, “We can be pleased, but we can’t be satisfied,” and, “too many kids can’t read on grade level. Too many can’t do math. And too many are still stuck in schools that are failing them. We’ve got a ton of work to do.”

The data show a stark reality

Louisiana public school students take the criterion-based LEAP test each year, meaning the test is designed to measure student learning of the Louisiana Student Standards—the specific content, concepts, and skills the state has required teachers to teach and students to learn each year in core academic subjects of English language arts, math, science, and social studies. The most recent results released by LDOE last week show that just 35% of Louisiana public school students are performing at grade level proficiency, or “Mastery.” The proficiency rate for grades 3–8 increased by one point to 35 percent, while the proficiency rate for high school declined by one point to 35 percent.

The declining rate of proficiency for high school students is especially concerning because these students will soon transition to college and the workplace where they may need remedial courses or fail to meet employers’ expectations.

Furthermore, only three school systems have half or more of their students on grade level—Central, West Feliciana, and Ascension, which have between 50-53% of students proficient. Last year, a fourth school system, Plaquemines, had met that bar, but fell back below 50% this year.

In Ascension, the state’s top performing school system that serves just over 24,000 students, 47% of students in grades three through high school are below grade level. Some of those students could possibly benefit from other educational options.

Some have suggested that only students attending D- or F-rated public schools need choice. But as shown above, this ignores the needs of thousands of students attending higher rated schools who are aren’t where they need to be academically.

Diverse needs warrant diverse options

We also know that test scores, while very important indicators of student learning, aren’t the only thing that matters. Students have diverse needs, interests, and challenges, ranging from being gifted and needing a more challenging academic program; having disabilities and other diagnosed conditions requiring services and accommodations; wanting to pursue interests in sports, STEM, world languages, and the arts; and having concerns about safety, bullying, school culture, and alignment with family values.

Some families have sacrificed greatly to provide their child with a private or homebased education that is meeting their needs. As costs have risen beyond the amount of their paychecks, keeping a good thing going is getting harder and harder. What appears as a family not in need of LA GATOR could be a family very much in need—one whose child could quickly appear on the public school rolls, where the state would pay anyway and the child might not get what he or she needs.

Government has long provided families with financial assistance to access diverse providers in health care, food support, child care, higher education—rarely telling recipients which doctor to attend, which grocery store to shop, which child care center to use, and which university to attend. Why? Because individual needs matter.

Kids need a school or educational program that fits their individual needs, too. An environment where children feel welcome, supported, and confident can make all the difference when it comes to their learning, development, and overall well-being during these formative years. Those whose families have financial resources shouldn’t be the only ones who get to find that fit.

A parent and student focused system

Education is not a zero-sum game; supporting diverse options strengthens Louisiana’s system by fostering innovation, healthy competition, and parental choice. The LA GATOR program aligns with this mission by allowing families to choose private schools; traditional and public charter schools offering stand-alone courses; providers offering courses, tutoring, therapy, and other services; and vendors selling educational supplies and materials.

BESE and LDOE’s role in overseeing it is not a conflict but a natural extension of its duty to prioritize individual student needs over institutional loyalty. Labeling this oversight as a conflict is divisive rhetoric that pits educational providers and models against one another, undermining what should be a shared goal of student success. Such narratives distract from constructive dialogue about how to best support Louisiana’s children. Instead of creating false dichotomies, we should focus on collaboration to ensure every child has access to an education that meets his or her needs.

That’s likely why Superintendent Brumley’s response to the senate president at that recent legislative committee meeting was, “I’ve always wanted families in the driver’s seat to pick the school that makes the most sense for their children.” Prioritizing family decision making is right—because rankings can be deceiving, test scores and current school enrollment don’t tell the whole story, and kids sometimes have challenges even in “good” schools. Those who know them best and have long been recognized as chief decision makers when it comes to their education and upbringing should be able to choose where and how.

Final thoughts

As we continue to celebrate the areas in which Louisiana’s public schools are making gains and press forward, let’s not forget that this progress is painfully slow and there’s a lot of work left to do to ensure that every child can reach his or full potential. Many are not, and giving them more options and opportunities, including through LA GATOR, could make all the difference—not just for them, but also for Louisiana’s future.