Schools in Duson, LA

The city of Duson, Louisiana, is home to four schools within the Lafayette Parish school district, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 8th grade with a total enrollment of 1,827 students. These schools include three elementary schools—Ridge Elementary School, Charles M. Burke Elementary School, and Duson Elementary School—and one middle school, Judice Middle School.

Among the elementary schools, Ridge Elementary School stands out as the consistent high performer, earning a 4-star rating for three consecutive years and ranking in the 86th percentile statewide. Its test scores in Math, ELA, and Social Studies all exceed district and state averages. Remarkably, Duson Elementary School achieves the highest ELA proficiency rate (82%) and ties for the highest Math proficiency (79%) despite having the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students (74.24% free/reduced lunch). In contrast, Charles M. Burke Elementary School has seen a consistent decline in its state ranking over three years, dropping from a 4-star to a 3-star rating, with test scores now below district averages. Judice Middle School, the only middle school, has the lowest overall performance with a 2-star rating and a concerning chronic absenteeism rate of 27.7%, though its dropout rate (1.2%) is below the district average (2.9%).

Key takeaways for parents include that socioeconomic status does not determine success here, as Duson Elementary School outperforms Charles M. Burke Elementary School in every subject despite higher poverty levels. Chronic absenteeism is a city-wide issue, with all schools at or above the state average of 22.5%. Social Studies proficiency is a universal weakness, with only Ridge Elementary School exceeding the district average. Additionally, smaller class sizes at Duson Elementary School (15.2:1 student-teacher ratio) correlate with higher literacy scores, while larger classes at Judice Middle School (23.3:1) align with lower overall performance.