Summary:
The city of Calhoun, Louisiana, is served by three public schools within the Ouachita Parish school district, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 67th percentile statewide, covering grades Pre-K through 8th with no high school within city limits.
Calhoun Middle School stands out as the top academic performer, achieving the highest proficiency rates in Mathematics (71%) and English Language Arts (77%) for the 2025-2026 school year, significantly outpacing both district and state averages. This success occurs despite a notable challenge: its chronic absenteeism rate of 22.4% is nearly double that of Central Elementary School (13.8%) and the only rate in the city exceeding the state average. In contrast, Calhoun Elementary School excels in attendance, posting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 12.1%, well below the district and state averages. Central Elementary, which feeds into the high-performing middle school, has seen its state ranking decline over three years, dropping from the 60th to the 49th percentile, and it also has the highest student-teacher ratio in the city at 19.6:1, compared to Calhoun Middle School's best ratio of 12.4:1.
A key takeaway is the "middle school bump" in academics, likely linked to smaller class sizes and effective instruction, though Social Studies remains a universal weakness across all schools, with proficiency at or below the state average of 55%. Socioeconomic need is consistent across the system, with free/reduced lunch eligibility ranging from 49.77% to 54.05%, suggesting performance differences stem more from internal factors like teaching and resources than economic disparities. For parents, Calhoun Middle School offers strong academics despite attendance issues, while Calhoun Elementary provides a solid foundation with excellent attendance, and Central Elementary faces challenges that warrant attention.
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