Middle Schools in Webster Parish

The two middle schools in the Webster Parish school district, Webster Junior High School and North Webster Junior High School, serve grades 6 through 8 and present a clear contrast in academic performance despite similar socioeconomic backgrounds.

North Webster Junior High School stands out as the higher-performing school, consistently ranking better in the state and achieving stronger test scores. In the 2025-2026 school year, it ranked 296th out of 452 schools, while Webster Junior High School ranked 371st. North Webster’s English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency rate of 68% is particularly impressive, coming within 2 points of the state average and far exceeding Webster Junior High’s 53%. North Webster also leads in math (50% vs. 47%) and social studies (46% vs. 40%), and has a lower dropout rate (0.4% vs. 0.9%). Both schools have high poverty rates, with about 77-80% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, suggesting that school-level factors like teaching quality and curriculum are driving the performance gap.

Chronic absenteeism is a challenge for both schools, with rates of 24.0% at Webster Junior High and 26.6% at North Webster, both above the state average of 22.5%. Interestingly, Webster Junior High has lower absenteeism but lower test scores, breaking the typical correlation. Grade-level trends show that math proficiency declines from 6th to 8th grade at both schools, but North Webster excels in 8th-grade social studies (56% proficiency) and maintains strong ELA scores across all grades. Both schools improved their math and ELA scores from the previous year, with Webster Junior High showing larger gains from a lower starting point.