Summary:
The city of Zwolle, Louisiana, is served by two public schools within the Sabine Parish school district: Zwolle Elementary School (grades PK-6, 415 students) and Zwolle High School (grades 7-12, 270 students). Both schools serve a high-poverty community, with nearly 80% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet they achieve above-average results in key academic areas.
Zwolle High School stands out for its strong upward trajectory and post-secondary readiness. Its state ranking has improved from the 64th to the 70th percentile, earning a 4-star rating, and its dropout rate is a mere 0.5% compared to the state average of 3.1%. The high school excels in end-of-course exams, with proficiency rates in English II (83%), Algebra I (75%), and Biology (70%) all significantly above state averages. However, its 7th and 8th grade performance lags, suggesting the lack of a dedicated middle school creates a challenging transition. In contrast, Zwolle Elementary School is a powerhouse in English Language Arts, achieving an 83% proficiency rate—13 points above the state average—with particularly strong 6th-grade results (85%). The elementary school also shows a notable spike in 5th-grade math proficiency (84%), which is 23 points above the state average.
A key weakness for both schools is social studies, where neither meets the state average, and the gap is especially wide at the high school level (44% vs. 55% statewide). Chronic absenteeism is another challenge, with Zwolle Elementary School at 30.1% and Zwolle High School at 26.0%, both above the state average of 22.5%. Despite these hurdles, both schools maintain favorable student-teacher ratios (13.6:1 at the elementary school and 11.8:1 at the high school), and they outperform the state in overall math (67% vs. 62%) and ELA proficiency. The data paints a picture of two schools that, despite economic challenges, are delivering strong results in core subjects while facing clear areas for improvement.
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