Summary:
The 19 middle schools in the St. Tammany Parish district serve a range of grade configurations, primarily grades 4-6 and 7-8, and the district itself is highly rated, ranking in the top 20% of Louisiana school districts.
Several schools stand out as top performers. Tchefuncte Middle School leads the district with exceptional test scores, including 90% proficiency in Math and 89% in ELA, alongside a low chronic absenteeism rate of 11.0%. Mandeville Junior High School and Madisonville Junior High School are also top-tier, consistently ranking in the top 10% of Louisiana middle schools. Lake Harbor Middle School and Gayle Sloan Middle School boast the lowest chronic absenteeism rates in the district (10.6% and 9.0%, respectively) and achieve high proficiency rates in the high 80s and low 90s. In contrast, St. Tammany Junior High School faces the most significant challenges, with the highest chronic absenteeism rate (35.0%) and the lowest overall test scores. Carolyn Park Middle and Slidell Junior High School also struggle with high absenteeism and low scores.
A key finding is the strong link between socioeconomic factors and performance, as schools with lower free/reduced lunch rates consistently achieve higher scores. Chronic absenteeism is also a powerful predictor of success. Notably, Folsom Junior High School is an outlier, achieving excellent test scores despite high absenteeism and a moderate free/reduced lunch rate. Additionally, many schools see a drop in Math proficiency from 7th to 8th grade, and William Pitcher Junior High School demonstrates that improvement is possible, with its state ranking rising from the 31st to the 61st percentile over two years.
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