Rapides Parish

The Rapides Parish school district in Louisiana serves 43 schools, including elementary, middle, high, and alternative schools, and is ranked 28th out of 116 districts in the state with a 4-star rating.

The district's standout schools are Bolton Academy, which ranks 5th in the state for high schools with near-perfect test scores and a low 8.2% chronic absenteeism rate, and Caroline Dormon Junior High School, ranking 19th among elementary schools with the parish's lowest absenteeism at 3.5%. Phoenix Magnet Elementary School also excels, ranking 9th in the state with elite test scores. In contrast, Peabody Magnet High School faces significant challenges with a 4.5% dropout rate and 21% chronic absenteeism, while Martin Park Elementary School is the lowest-ranked in the parish. Chronic absenteeism is a key differentiator, with high-performing schools like Poland Junior High School (2.1% absenteeism) and J.B. Nachman Elementary School (7.7%) showing strong results, while low-performing schools like L.S. Rugg Elementary School (42.0% absenteeism) struggle academically.

Poverty is a strong predictor of performance, but not absolute. Peabody Montessori Elementary School and Poland Junior High achieve high rankings despite poverty rates above 69%, while Acadian Elementary and Alma Redwine Elementary have poverty rates over 95% and low performance. The district's middle schools in Alexandria, including Alexandria Middle Magnet School, perform below average, while those in Pineville and Tioga, like Pineville Junior High School, rank higher. Alternative schools show mixed results, with Glenmora High School achieving a 94.7% graduation rate and 0% dropout rate, and Plainview High School showing strong ELA scores but low U.S. History proficiency.