Summary:
The city of Ruston, Louisiana, is home to 9 schools serving grades K-12, primarily within the Lincoln Parish district, which ranks in the top 20% of districts statewide.
The educational landscape in Ruston is defined by a stark contrast between one elite institution and the rest of the public schools. A. E. Phillips Laboratory School is a clear standout, ranking 7th out of 675 elementary schools in Louisiana with near-perfect test scores and a chronic absenteeism rate of just 1.0%. In contrast, the other elementary schools—Glen View Elementary School, Hillcrest Elementary School, Cypress Springs Elementary School, and Ruston Elementary School—serve a higher percentage of students from lower-income backgrounds and generally perform near or slightly below state averages. A notable bright spot is I.A. Lewis School, which outperforms Ruston Junior High School in both math and English, suggesting a strong foundation in 6th grade that may not be fully sustained in later middle school years. Ruston High School serves as a reliable anchor, boasting a strong 93.9% graduation rate and consistently outperforming state averages in core subjects like Geometry and English II.
Two schools require particular attention. Howard School, operating as its own district, faces the most significant challenges as an alternative school, with a critically low 6.3% graduation rate and the highest student-to-teacher ratio in the city at 23.4:1. Additionally, chronic absenteeism is a concentrated problem at Hillcrest Elementary School (26.1%) and Glen View Elementary School (22.1%), rates that are nearly double the district average and a key area for early intervention. Overall, while the Lincoln Parish district provides a strong foundation, families in Ruston will find a wide range of academic environments, from the elite performance at A.E. Phillips to the significant struggles at Howard School.
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