Union Parish Elementary School

Union Parish Elementary School in Farmerville, LA, serves 506 students from Pre-K through 5th grade and is part of the Union Parish school district, which ranks in the 32nd percentile statewide. The school has historically struggled academically, consistently ranking in the bottom 10-20% of Louisiana elementary schools over the past decade, though recent data shows a slight improvement to the 17th percentile (1 star). Nearly 78% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting the high-poverty community it serves.

When compared to nearby schools, the performance gap is stark. Drew Elementary School in the Ouachita Parish district ranks in the 88th percentile (4 stars), while Dubach School in the Lincoln Parish district ranks in the 44th percentile (2 stars). In English Language Arts, Union Parish Elementary’s proficiency rate of 43% is 44 points behind Drew Elementary (87%) and 17 points behind Dubach (60%). Similarly, in Social Studies, Union Parish (36%) trails Drew (78%) by 42 points and Dubach (54%) by 18 points. A critical issue is chronic absenteeism, which has skyrocketed from 6.5% in 2021-2022 to 30.5% in 2024-2025—nearly double the state average and more than triple Drew Elementary’s rate of 8.7%.

Despite these challenges, there are some positive signs. Fourth-grade students achieved a 76% proficiency rate in Mathematics in 2025-2026, nearly matching Drew Elementary’s 77% and exceeding state and district averages. Additionally, performance for male students jumped to the 25th percentile, a significant improvement from the 6th percentile two years prior. The school also maintains a low student-teacher ratio of 12:1, which could support more individualized attention if absenteeism is addressed. However, the school’s overall performance remains low compared to Dubach, which has a similar poverty rate and even smaller class sizes, suggesting that tackling chronic absenteeism is the most urgent priority for improvement.