Jefferson Davis Parish

The Jefferson Davis Parish school district in Louisiana serves 12 public schools, including elementary, middle, high, and alternative schools, and is ranked 34th out of 116 parishes statewide with a 4-star rating.

Several schools stand out for exceptional performance. Hathaway High School, an alternative school, is the top academic performer in the parish, achieving the highest proficiency rates in Math (81%), English Language Arts (77%), and Social Studies (68%), significantly exceeding district and state averages. Welsh Elementary School is a top-tier elementary school with a 4-star rating and the highest Math proficiency in the parish at 85%, including a standout 93% in 3rd-grade Math. Welsh-Roanoke Junior High School is the most improved school, jumping from a 3-star to a 4-star rating in one year and now leading the district in ELA (79%) and Social Studies (72%). In contrast, Fenton Elementary School, the smallest school with 73 students, faces significant challenges with the lowest proficiency rates in ELA (58%) and Social Studies (25%), the latter being 30 points below the state average.

A key finding is a performance gap between elementary and high schools. While Welsh Elementary and Welsh-Roanoke Junior High are strong, Welsh High School has a 3-star rating and a 37% chronic absenteeism rate. Similarly, Lake Arthur Elementary is a solid 3-star school, but Lake Arthur High School is a 2-star school with a 34.8% absenteeism rate. Chronic absenteeism is a systemic issue at the secondary level, with Jennings High School having the highest rate at 39.4%. Despite this, the district's high schools boast strong graduation rates above 92%, well above the state average of 85%, indicating that students who stay enrolled tend to succeed.