The Caddo Indians were the original settlers of the region that would become Shreveport City in Louisiana. The city emerged due to the efforts of Captain Henry Miller Shreve to clear the Red River. Shreve led the United States Army Corps of Engineers in a project to clear the Red River of its natural log jam, making it navigable. Shreve Town Company was the founder of Shreveport, Louisiana, after completing Miller Shreve’s project to clear the river. The company’s initial goal was to establish and develop a town at the juncture of the navigated Red River and the Texas Trail. The trail was an overland route that connected the region to the newly independent Republic of Texas. The residents named the Shreve Town Company and the village of Shreve Town in honor of Captain Henry Miller Shreve. The village of Shreve Town became the town of Shreveport on March 20, 1839. Louisiana incorporated Shreveport as a city in 1871, with its original boundaries contained within the land that Shreve Town Company had bought from the indigenous Indians. The town developed significantly, mainly in the 20th century, due to the presence of the military. Riverboat gambling arrived in the city in the 1990s, attracting economic growth and increased population.

Caddo Public Schools make up the school district in Shreveport, serving all of Caddo parish. There are 25 public elementary, middle, and high schools and 14 private schools. School performance is above average, and Shreveport has some of the best schools in northern Louisiana.

Shreveport is also home to many colleges and universities, such as Centenary College, which relocated to the city in 1908. Louisiana State University in the city opened as a two-year institution in 1967 but became a four-year institution nine years later. The city is also home to the only medical school in northern Louisiana.

The city serves as the cultural and educational center of the Ark-La-Tex region, featuring universities such as Louisiana Tech University Shreveport, Southern University Shreveport, and Louisiana Baptist University. These institutions have made Shreveport a significant education hub with excelling schools.