Summary
Central Lafourche High School in Raceland, LA, is a large public high school serving 1,307 students in grades 9-12 within the high-performing Lafourche Parish district, which ranks 16th out of 116 districts in Louisiana. The school has a strong history, earning a 5-star rating in 2021-2022, but has seen a notable decline in its state ranking over the last six years, dropping from the 95th percentile to the 64th percentile. This downward trend sets it apart from nearby schools like South Terrebonne High School and Hahnville High School, which have maintained more stable rankings in the 70th-80th percentiles.
Despite the ranking decline, Central Lafourche excels in keeping students on track to graduate, boasting a 93.3% graduation rate—the highest among nearby schools and well above the state average of 85.0%—and an impressively low dropout rate of just 0.7%. However, the school faces a significant challenge with chronic absenteeism, which sits at 31.0%, the second-highest rate among its peers and far above the district average of 24.6%. This creates a paradox: the school is highly effective at supporting students who attend regularly, yet a large portion of the student body is missing substantial instructional time. In core subjects, performance is mixed—Algebra I proficiency is strong at 83%, but Geometry and U.S. History proficiency have dropped to 50% and 52%, respectively, showing volatility from year to year.
When compared to Thibodaux High School, its district peer, Central Lafourche outperforms in nearly every metric, including graduation rates and test scores. However, it is outpaced by Hahnville High School from the neighboring St. Charles Parish district, which benefits from a lower poverty rate (46% free/reduced lunch), a much smaller student-to-teacher ratio (11.5 vs. 22.9), and dramatically lower chronic absenteeism (12.4%). These comparisons highlight how resource allocation and community factors can influence school performance, and suggest Central Lafourche is in a period of transition, working to stabilize its curriculum and address attendance challenges while maintaining its strong graduation outcomes.
Thank you for your feedback!