Fairview-Alpha Elementary & Junior High School

Fairview-Alpha Elementary & Junior High School in Campti, LA, is a small, rural school serving 278 students in grades PK-6 within the high-performing Natchitoches Parish district, and it has recently achieved a remarkable academic turnaround.

After years of lower performance, Fairview-Alpha made a dramatic leap in the 2025-2026 school year, jumping from the 42nd to the 79th percentile in statewide rankings and earning a 4-star rating. This improvement was broad-based, with significant gains in Math, ELA, and Social Studies. The school’s Social Studies proficiency rate (75%) now outpaces the district (64%) and state (55%) averages, and it is on par with the consistently high-performing Provencal Elementary & Junior High School (73%). Most notably, Fairview-Alpha ranked in the 91st percentile for serving its low-socioeconomic status students, a standout achievement given that about 90% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch. This success is especially impressive when compared to N.S.U. Elementary Lab School, the district’s top performer (98th percentile), which serves a much lower-poverty population (31%).

Despite this academic progress, a key challenge remains: chronic absenteeism. At 28.8%, Fairview-Alpha’s rate is significantly higher than the district (19.3%) and state (22.5%) averages, and far above nearby schools like M.R. Weaver Elementary School (12.4%). This creates a paradox—the school achieved its best results while facing high absenteeism, suggesting that instruction when students are present is exceptionally effective. However, the school’s history shows volatility, bouncing between 1-star and 2-star ratings for years. The current data represents a single, promising data point, and families should watch next year’s results to see if this turnaround is sustainable.