Louisiana, the 25th most populous state, has low educational attainment. It is second worst, fifth worst, and seventh worst in percentage of adults with, respectively, an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, and graduate degree. It has a low per capita income and the third highest poverty rate in the country. Louisiana is expected to have a 1 percent decrease in high school graduates from 2007–08 to 2017–18. Only 40.7 percent of Louisiana’s freshmen enrolling at four-year institutions graduate in six years or less, compared to the national mark of 55.9 percent. Louisiana is the only state in the union that must have two-thirds approval from the state Legislature in order to raise tuition.

Louisiana's higher education accountability system's strengths are:

• Separating data by important socioeconomic factors (race/ethnicity, gender, income, first-generation status, transfer students, etc.).
• Aligning state priorities with concrete goals for achievement.
• Tracking the value-added effects of teacher preparation programs on K–12 student achievement.

Louisiana's higher education accountability system needs work in:

• Gathering information on a wide breadth of performance measures.
• Formally linking budgetary decisions to the performance of state postsecondary institutions.
• Proactively informing prospective students, parents, and the general public about the performance of state colleges and universities.

 Download Louisiana's Full Score Card Report.