Ne Louisiana News

There were 13,116 Black or African American students enrolled in Ouachita Parish districts in the 2022-23 school year, 0.7% more than the previous year, according to the Louisiana Department of Education.

Data showed that Ouachita Parish districts welcomed 26,344 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, Black or African American students comprised 49.8% of the student body to be the most represented ethnicity in the parish districts.

Among the two districts in Ouachita Parish, City of Monroe School District recorded the highest enrollment of Black or African American students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 6,701 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with Ouachita Parish.

The majority of Louisiana students identified themselves as white and Black, representing 48% and 37% of the state student body respectively during the 2021–22 academic year. Hispanic students made up 8.6% of the student body, and other ethnic minorities made up 5.6%.

However, the teaching staff in Louisiana doesn't fully mirror the student body's demographics, with only 22% of teachers identified as Black or Latino.

Louisiana has recently signed a new law that requires a display of the Ten Commandments in all public schools in the state until the beginning of the upcoming school year. This comes after another religious bill that allows public school districts to hire chaplains to work as mental health professionals and counselors.

Critics argue that these laws violate the First Amendment and a lawsuit has already been filed against the proposal. "The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government", stated the ACLU in the lawsuit.

District	% of Black or African American students enrollment	Total enrollment
City of Monroe School District	82%	8,168
Ouachita Parish School District	35.3%	18,176