Summary:
Ferriday, Louisiana is home to a single high school, Ferriday High School, which serves grades 8 through 12 with a total enrollment of 289 students and is part of the Concordia Parish school district.
Ferriday High School presents a complex picture for parents. On one hand, the school has a very favorable student-teacher ratio of 9.3 to 1, suggesting smaller class sizes and potential for individualized attention. It also boasts a graduation rate of 89.9%, which is above both the district and state averages, and a dropout rate of just 2.8%, which is below the state average. However, the school consistently ranks in the bottom 10-15% of all high schools in Louisiana, and its state ranking has been declining. An extremely high 95.5% of students are economically disadvantaged, as indicated by free or reduced lunch eligibility, and over one in five students (21.7%) are chronically absent. Test scores on state LEAP exams are significantly below district and state averages in every subject, with Geometry proficiency being critically low at just 16% compared to the state average of 57%.
The most striking finding is the "graduation paradox": despite very low academic performance and test scores, the school successfully graduates students at a rate exceeding state norms. This suggests the school may be effective at supporting students to complete coursework, even if they are not meeting state proficiency benchmarks. The test scores also show significant year-over-year volatility, such as English I proficiency dropping from 52% to 30% in one year, which may be due to small class sizes or other transient factors. Ultimately, while the school's low student-teacher ratio and strong graduation rate are positive signs, the profound socioeconomic challenges and low academic achievement are critical factors for parents to consider.
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