Summary:
The city of Pineville, Louisiana, is served by nine public schools within the Rapides Parish district and the Special School District, educating approximately 4,648 students across elementary, middle, and high school levels.
Among Pineville’s schools, Ruby-Wise Elementary School stands out as the top performer, ranking in the 89th percentile statewide with exceptional test scores—83% proficiency in Math and 88% in English Language Arts. Tioga Junior High School is the leading middle school, achieving 72% Math and 86% ELA proficiency, while Mary Goff Elementary School also excels, particularly in Social Studies (77% proficient). In contrast, Lessie Moore Elementary School and Pineville Elementary School (which serves grades 4-6) struggle with the lowest test scores and highest chronic absenteeism rates (23.6% and 22.3%, respectively). Pineville High School performs admirably as the city’s only high school, with a graduation rate of 89.4% and a dropout rate of just 1.0%, well above state averages. The Pinecrest Supports & Services Center serves a unique, highly vulnerable population with a low student-teacher ratio of 9.2:1.
A key takeaway is that economic disadvantage does not determine success: Ruby-Wise and Tioga Junior High have high free/reduced lunch rates (65% and 77%) yet outperform the district, while Lessie Moore and Pineville Elementary have even higher rates (over 94%) and lower performance. Chronic absenteeism strongly correlates with low achievement, making it a critical area for intervention. Overall, the Rapides Parish district ranks 28th out of 116 in Louisiana (76th percentile, 4-star rating), indicating a solid baseline, with standout schools like Ruby-Wise and Tioga Junior High demonstrating that high performance is achievable across diverse student populations.
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