Summary:
The city of Patterson, Louisiana, is served by three public schools within the St. Mary Parish school district, including Hattie A. Watts Elementary School (grades PK-5), Patterson Junior High School (grades 6-8), and Patterson High School (grades 9-12), all of which serve a high-poverty population with free/reduced lunch rates between 75.9% and 80.2%.
Patterson Junior High School stands out as the district's academic leader, achieving a perfect 100% Algebra I End-of-Course exam proficiency rate—far exceeding the state average of 63%—and maintaining the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 17.9% with a zero percent dropout rate. Patterson High School is a notable improver, climbing 20 percentile points in state ranking to the 54th percentile, and excels in Biology with 75% proficiency versus the state's 60%, though it struggles with a critical 39.4% chronic absenteeism rate. Hattie A. Watts Elementary School specializes in English Language Arts, with 75% of all students proficient—outpacing the state average of 70%—and an impressive 85% proficiency rate in 4th grade.
Key metrics reveal a strong academic foundation built at the elementary and middle school levels, but a significant drop-off at the high school level due to attendance issues. While Hattie A. Watts Elementary and Patterson Junior High both have chronic absenteeism rates below the state average of 22.5%, Patterson High School’s rate of 39.4% is nearly double that benchmark. Across the district, English Language Arts is a consistent strength, while Social Studies is a notable weakness, with all three schools falling below the state average of 55% proficiency. Patterson High School maintains a strong graduation rate of 92.7%, well above the state average of 85%, suggesting that despite attendance challenges, students who persist tend to succeed.
Thank you for your feedback!