Middle Schools in DeSoto Parish

The DeSoto Parish school district in Louisiana is home to two middle schools—North DeSoto Middle School 6-8 and Mansfield Middle School—serving grades 6 through 8, and the district itself ranks in the top 16% of Louisiana districts with a 4-star rating.

North DeSoto Middle School 6-8 is the standout performer, consistently ranking in the top 11% of Louisiana middle schools with a 4-star rating. It achieves exceptional proficiency rates of 85% in Math, 87% in English Language Arts, and 73% in Social Studies, all well above district and state averages. The school serves a relatively more affluent student body, with only 40.66% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and maintains a student-teacher ratio of 14.7. In contrast, Mansfield Middle School faces significant challenges, with proficiency rates of 47% in Math, 69% in ELA, and 50% in Social Studies, all below district and state benchmarks. It has a 2-star rating and ranks in the 44th percentile, though its ranking has improved for three consecutive years. Mansfield serves a student body where 87.01% qualify for free or reduced lunch, and it has a lower student-teacher ratio of 11.3, yet its overall performance lags behind.

An interesting finding is that despite its struggles, Mansfield Middle School excels in advanced coursework: 100% of its Algebra I students and 93% of its English I students were proficient in 2024-2025, far exceeding district and state averages. However, a critical weakness is 5th-grade Math, where only 16% of students are proficient. North DeSoto Middle School 6-8 shows consistent excellence across all grades, with no significant dips, and its lowest proficiency rate (61% in 6th-grade Social Studies) still surpasses state averages. The disparity in performance between the two schools is stark, with socioeconomic factors likely playing a major role, but Mansfield’s upward trend and advanced course success offer hope for continued improvement.