Fifth Ward Elementary School

Fifth Ward Elementary School operates as a cozy elementary campus in Reserve, Louisiana, run under St. John the Baptist Parish. Current enrollment sits at 306 students spanning grades pre-K through 4. Enrollment runs roughly 32% below the state mean of about 453.

St. John the Baptist Parish runs 10 schools in total, collectively educating 5,039 students. Fifth Ward Elementary School is one of those campuses.

For racial and ethnic makeup, Fifth Ward Elementary School logs that Black students make up the majority at 78%. Beyond that, the school shows 16% Hispanic, 4% White. By comparison, St. John the Baptist Parish as a whole is about 57% Black, so the school skews visibly more Black than its surroundings.

Looking at the economic backdrop, Fifth Ward Elementary School logs 26 full-time-equivalent teachers, putting the student-to-teacher ratio at about 11.9:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.0:1, putting Fifth Ward Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. Around 87% of the student body qualifies for free or reduced-price meals, which schools and policymakers use as a rough income-mix signal.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Fifth Ward Elementary School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 21.9% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 16.3%.

Zooming out to the county, ACS estimates for St. John the Baptist Parish put the typical household earns roughly $66,630 per year, roughly 18% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 9% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across St. John the Baptist Parish's 10 public schools (combined enrollment of about 5,039 students), Fifth Ward Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is East St. John Preparatory Academy, roughly 1.6 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Fifth Ward Elementary School. On composite proficiency, Fifth Ward Elementary School comes 5th of 8 in the immediate cluster, behind the nearby-schools average of 19.9%.

Fifth Ward Elementary School operates from a residential location.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 38%: 495 students in 2018 compared to 306 in 2025. The Hispanic share of enrollment grew from 6% to 16% over that span. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 12.9:1 in 2018 to 11.9:1 today.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around pickup logistics, teacher feedback, and after-school programs. The community welcomes input from current and former families.