Summary:
The Lafayette Parish school district is home to 10 middle schools serving grades 6-8, with two schools also including 5th grade, and the district itself holds a 4-star rating, ranking 27th out of 116 districts in Louisiana.
For parents, the standout school is L.J. Alleman Middle School, which is the only school in the district to earn a 5-star rating and leads in academic performance with the highest state rank (52nd out of 452) and top LEAP test scores in math (86%), English (86%), and social studies (72%). Strong contenders include Edgar Martin Middle School and Youngsville Middle School, both earning 4-star ratings and ranking in the top 25% of the state. On the other end, Paul Breaux Middle School and Acadian Middle School face significant challenges, with 0-star ratings, state rankings in the bottom 5%, and critically low test scores—for example, Paul Breaux's math proficiency is just 28% compared to the district average of 71%.
Key metrics reveal a strong link between poverty and performance: schools with the highest free/reduced lunch rates, like Paul Breaux (91%) and Lafayette Middle School (84%), also have the highest chronic absenteeism (54.8% and 46.5%, respectively) and lowest rankings. Interestingly, smaller class sizes don't guarantee success—the lowest-performing schools have the smallest student-teacher ratios (13.8:1 at Acadian), while top-performing L.J. Alleman has a higher ratio (20.3:1). A district-wide "8th grade slump" in math is evident, with proficiency dropping sharply from 6th to 8th grade at most schools, except L.J. Alleman, which maintains high 8th-grade math scores (87%). This data shows a stark divide between high-performing, more affluent schools and those struggling with poverty and attendance issues, masking the district's overall 4-star rating.
Thank you for your feedback!