The 2025-26 Louisiana Preliminary LEAP Results were released over the summer, and Advantage students grew in every single subject. The data showed Advantage, which has outperformed the local district the past eight years, was again the top-performing school in Baker. The school led the city in ELA, math, science, and social studies proficiency.
This accolade was not an accident. Solite said his team has been putting in the work to see these results.
“It was important to have a strong school culture,” Solite said. “We made sure we had buy-in from parents and students. We looked at feedback from families and looked into what we could do to improve and make sure this was the best choice for their child.”
Solite and his leadership team prioritized time in the classroom to help support not only students, but also their teachers. When the data showed a class was struggling with a concept, one member from the Advantage leadership team led the classroom.
“Going into the classroom is doing two things,” Solite said. “We’re helping our teachers grow, and we are helping the students grow. We were strategic about that support.”
That strategy paid off, with the school seeing increased proficiency across all tested subjects. Advantage saw an 11% increase in math proficiency, 5% in ELA, 4% in social studies, and 1% growth in science. That led to a 5% increase in overall proficiency.
Solite also shared that intervention was a priority, adding that every student received individual support based on their learning needs. This support was bolstered by student data, helping Advantage educators know the best way to approach these one-on-one learning opportunities.
Advantage Charter Academy school leaders head to the stage to accept an Eagle Award during the 2026 Leadership Summit.
The school leveraged data through Professional Learning Communities (PLCs), where teachers and school leaders would identify areas of improvement for students and go over best practices in the classroom.
“We’re supporting teachers and showing them what certain concepts look like and how they sound in the classroom,” Solite said.
It wasn’t all business that inspired the growth. Advantage increased its Fun Friday frequency from once every other week to once per week during testing season. Solite said that idea came directly from student feedback. Giving students that weekly incentive helped them put in the work to grow.
Parent partnerships were also an important part of student growth. Thanks to parent buy-in, students were prepared to test. Solite laid the foundation for parents months in advance, hosting a LEAP night to share why LEAP testing is important for their student. He mentioned the milestone in his weekly newsletters, even sharing test-day preparation tips weeks in advance.
This kept LEAP top of mind for families and made sure everyone in the school community was working toward a common goal: student growth.
“We’re taking ownership of the success of our students,” Solite said. “And it feels good to have the highest growth and proficiency across our entire area.”
About Advantage Charter Academy
Advantage Charter Academy is a tuition-free, public charter school located in Baker, Louisiana, serving students in kindergarten through eighth grade. It is part of the National Heritage Academies (NHA®) network, which includes more than 100 tuition-free, public charter schools serving more than 65,000 students in kindergarten through high school across nine states. For more information, visit nhaschools.com.
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