High Schools in Bossier Parish

The five public high schools in Bossier Parish, Louisiana, serve grades 8 through 12 and range dramatically in performance, with Benton High School leading the district as a consistent 5-star school and Bossier High School facing significant challenges as a 1-star school.

Benton High School stands out as the top performer, ranking 32nd in the state with a 93.9% graduation rate, the lowest dropout rate (0.9%), and the highest average test score proficiency (80.3%). In contrast, Bossier High School ranks 276th, with a 78.3% graduation rate, a 3.8% dropout rate, and only 39.6% of students proficient in tests. Haughton High School (86th, 4 stars) and Parkway High School (107th, 3 stars) perform solidly in the middle, while Airline High School (129th, 3 stars), the largest school with 1,855 students, underperforms relative to its lower poverty rate. A key finding is that chronic absenteeism is a parish-wide issue, with all schools exceeding the state average of 22.5%, and Bossier High reaching a troubling 48.8%.

The data reveals a strong link between socioeconomic factors and academic outcomes: Benton High has the lowest percentage of students on free/reduced lunch (26.6%) and the best results, while Bossier High has the highest (80.89%) and the worst results. Interestingly, student-teacher ratios are nearly identical across all schools (16.5 to 19.2), suggesting that factors like school culture and instructional quality matter more than class size. For parents, Benton High offers the strongest academic environment, while Bossier High requires significant support to address its persistent struggles.