West Feliciana Parish

The West Feliciana Parish school district is a small, high-performing system in Louisiana, serving approximately 2,145 students across four public schools from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, and it is ranked 7th out of 116 parishes in the state.

Bains Elementary School is the district's standout, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 10% of Louisiana elementary schools. It boasts exceptional test scores, with 89% of students proficient in math and 83% in English Language Arts, both far above state averages. The school also has the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 10.7%, well below the state average of 22.5%. In contrast, West Feliciana Middle School shows a clear performance drop-off, with a lower state ranking (73rd percentile) and a math proficiency rate of 69%, which is 20 points lower than Bains Elementary. This suggests a challenge in maintaining academic momentum during the transition from elementary to middle school.

West Feliciana High School presents a paradox: it has strong academic outcomes, including a 92.7% graduation rate, a very low 1.1% dropout rate, and high proficiency in subjects like U.S. History (80%) and English I (84%). However, it also has the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the district at 22.2%, nearly matching the state average and more than double that of Bains Elementary. This indicates that while attending students perform well, a significant portion of the student body may be disengaged. Bains Lower Elementary School serves the youngest students (PK-K) with a very low student-teacher ratio of 6.3:1, providing a strong foundation. Overall, the district excels at the elementary level, faces a "middle school slump," and then recovers in high school graduation rates, though attendance remains a key concern at the secondary level.