A long line of cars filled with children clad in navy blue and burgundy backed up Thursday morning onto Progress Road. It was the start of the 2025-26 school year for schools in Baton Rouge and throughout most of the region.
“They like to bring them to school on the first day,” Progress Elementary Principal Shanelle Fernandez said. “We'll get everybody home on the bus this afternoon.”
It was a longer car pool line than normal for another reason: Progress Elementary is bigger.
The modern campus, rebuilt in 2013, is the same size, but its enrollment has grown substantially thanks to the closure last year of two other nearby elementary schools. They are among nine Baton Rouge public schools that were closed as part of a “realignment” plan approved in late April by the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board.
Hands were held, hugs were given and huddles were formed as young students navigated their way through Progress Elementary on the first day of…
For the Scotlandville area, which Progress has served since it opened in 1959, the realignment plan changed a lot.
The closure of J.K. Haynes and Ryan elementary schools means that Scotlandville has just two traditional elementary schools, Progress and nearby Crestworth Elementary. As recently as 2004, it had seven.
The plan also moved about 200 students from Crestworth to Scotlandville Middle, making it the sole middle school for the area.
In January, Ryan absorbed students and staff from J.K. Haynes. Now, both schools have moved into Progress.
Fernandez was part of the move. She was the principal last year of Ryan Elementary, which closed in May after 56 years in operation. Fernandez said she brought her team with her to the much newer Progress. They visited the 855 Progress Road campus in the spring.
“This building is so big, and it can be overwhelming, so I wanted them to have a sense of familiarity with where they will be,” she said.
Fernandez’s plan for the first day of school Thursday was simple: “Get everybody in. Get their tags so we know how they’re getting home. Get them in the classroom. Have an amazing day. Feed them breakfast and lunch. Have a little fun, and get everybody on the bus home.”
Thursday was the first day of school in Ascension, East Baton Rouge, West Baton Rouge and West Feliciana parishes as well as in Baker, Central and Zachary.
East Baton Rouge, the second-largest traditional school district in Louisiana, counted 37,276 students on the rolls Thursday, down from 38,602 that were enrolled on the first day of school a year ago.
Enrollment typically rises through August, dips late in the month as no-shows are dropped, and then levels off after Labor Day. Official enrollment counts in Louisiana are taken twice a year, on Oct. 1 and Feb. 1. Each student enrolled equates to thousands of dollars in state per-pupil education funding.
Darvanda Bell walked into the school with her son, Joseph, for the start of second grade. She said first grade went well and she is looking forward to this year.
“All the staff is very warm and friendly,” Bell said.
Bell said she walks her child into school not just on the first day of school, but every day. The 7-year-old asserted a touch of independence from mom.
“Why do you have to keep holding my hand?” Joseph said softly.
Mother was not dissuaded and maintained her grip.
"Last year went very, very well. His teachers were awesome,” Bell said. “He did awesome. A’s all year.”