Summary:
This analysis focuses on a single high school, McDonogh 35 Senior High School, which serves grades 9 through 12 in New Orleans, Louisiana, and operates as its own district, McDonogh 35 Senior High School.
The most striking finding at McDonogh 35 is a paradox between attendance and graduation. The school has an extremely high chronic absenteeism rate of 70.4% for the 2024-2025 school year, which is more than three times the state average of 22.5%. Despite this, the school boasts an above-average graduation rate of 89.1%, compared to the state's 85.0%. This suggests the school may have strong support systems, such as credit recovery programs or flexible scheduling, that help students earn diplomas even with significant attendance challenges. Additionally, the school's dropout rate of 1.4% is notably lower than the state average of 3.1%, indicating the school is effective at retaining its students.
Academically, McDonogh 35's proficiency rates in core subjects are generally below state averages, with the most significant gaps in U.S. History (39% vs. 55% state) and Biology (42% vs. 60% state). The school is closest to the state average in math, with Geometry proficiency exactly matching the state at 57%. On a positive note, the school's state ranking has shown improvement, moving from the 26th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 35th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 2-star rating. The school serves a high-poverty population, with 85.43% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 13.6:1. The key takeaway for parents is that while the school excels at keeping students enrolled and graduating them, it faces significant hurdles in improving daily attendance and raising academic proficiency across most subjects.
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