Summary:
The city of Montgomery, Louisiana, is served by two public schools within the Grant Parish school district, which holds a 3-star rating and ranks in the 61st percentile statewide.
Montgomery High School (grades 6-12, 253 students) stands out for its exceptional student outcomes, boasting a 93.9% graduation rate and a 0.0% dropout rate—both far better than state averages. The school has shown notable improvement in End-of-Course exams, with Geometry proficiency jumping from 30% to 59% and English II from 52% to 65%. It outperforms state averages in Geometry (59% vs. 57%) and Biology (63% vs. 60%). In contrast, Verda Elementary School (grades PK-5, 308 students) has experienced a steep academic decline, dropping from a 2-star to a 1-star rating over two years. While Verda has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (24.1%) and a favorable student-teacher ratio (12.4:1), its overall math proficiency (44%) and English Language Arts proficiency (62%) trail both the district and state averages.
A critical finding is that Social Studies is a systemic weakness across both schools, with proficiency rates roughly half the state average—for example, only 15% of 6th graders at Montgomery High and 27% of 3rd graders at Verda are proficient. Despite Verda's declining math scores, Montgomery High outperforms it in math (52% vs. 44%), suggesting the high school effectively adds value. The transition from 5th grade at Verda to 6th grade at Montgomery High reveals a potential "middle school gap," particularly in Social Studies. Additionally, Verda has a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (82.79% receiving free/reduced lunch) compared to Montgomery High (67.19%), which aligns with its lower academic performance.
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