Summary:
Simmesport, Louisiana, is home to a single public elementary school, Riverside Elementary School, which serves 197 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade within the Avoyelles Parish school district.
Riverside Elementary stands out for its strong performance in English Language Arts (ELA), with a 73% proficiency rate that surpasses both the district (64%) and state (70%) averages. However, the school faces significant challenges in other subjects, with math proficiency at 54% and social studies at just 40%, both below state benchmarks. A major concern is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 32.9%, which is nearly 10 percentage points higher than the state average and likely contributes to academic struggles. The school also serves a high-needs population, with 92.39% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch. Despite its ELA strength, the school's state ranking dropped sharply from the 67th percentile (3 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 41st percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026, reflecting a decline in absolute test scores and increased competition from other schools.
For parents, the key takeaway is that Riverside Elementary offers a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.2:1, which supports smaller class sizes, and excels in reading and writing instruction. However, the school needs targeted support in math and social studies, and addressing the high rate of chronic absenteeism could be the most impactful strategy for improving overall student outcomes. Grade-level performance varies, with 6th graders performing relatively well in math (64%) while 5th graders struggle (35%), suggesting that interventions may need to be tailored to specific grades.
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