Summary:
Red River High School is the sole high school in the Red River Parish school district, serving grades 9 through 12 in Coushatta, LA, with a total enrollment of 349 students.
The most notable strength of Red River High School is its strong commitment to keeping students on track to graduate. The school boasts a graduation rate of 91.5%, which is well above the state average of 85.0%, and it reported a 0.0% dropout rate for the 2023-2024 school year. However, this success in graduation does not fully align with academic performance. The school consistently underperforms the state average on LEAP tests in every core subject, with proficiency rates ranging from 35% in U.S. History to 56% in English I. This creates a "graduation vs. proficiency" paradox, suggesting that while students are earning diplomas, many may not be meeting state benchmarks for college or career readiness.
A major challenge is chronic absenteeism, which sits at 26.7%—higher than both the district (16.9%) and state (22.5%) averages. This is likely a key driver of the low test scores. The school does benefit from a very low student-teacher ratio of 9.8:1, which is a valuable resource for individualized attention, but this advantage is not translating into higher academic achievement, likely due to the high poverty rate (85.39% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch) and the attendance crisis. Overall, Red River High School is effective at keeping students in school but faces significant hurdles in boosting academic proficiency.
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