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Central Middle School

Q: Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 169 th of 452 Louisiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

169^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 452 Louisiana Middle Schools

Better than 63% of Louisiana middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School in Gonzales, LA, serves 512 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the highly-rated Ascension Parish school district, which holds a 5-star rating and ranks in the 92nd percentile statewide. The school itself has a 3-star rating (63rd percentile) for the 2025-2026 school year, a decline from its 4-star peak in 2023-2024. While it performs above the state average in core subjects, it is consistently outperformed by nearby district peers like Bluff Middle School, Dutchtown Middle School, and Prairieville Middle School, which rank in the top 5-6% of the state. Central's proficiency rates in Math (63%), English Language Arts (73%), and Social Studies (68%) are notably lower than these top-performing schools, and its performance is more comparable to schools in the neighboring Livingston Parish district, such as Southside Junior High School.

A key concern for parents is that Central Middle School has a higher chronic absenteeism rate (12.6%) than all other Ascension Parish middle schools, including Dutchtown (8.3%) and St. Amant (7.3%) Middle Schools. Additionally, 54.1% of its students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, a higher rate of economic disadvantage than at top-performing peers like Bluff (32.33%) and Prairieville (39.04%). On a positive note, the school has a low student-teacher ratio of 12.3, the lowest among all comparison schools, which could be a valuable asset for personalized attention if leveraged effectively.

An interesting pattern is Central's "6th grade strength," where 6th graders significantly outperform the school's overall average and even the district average in subjects like English Language Arts (86% vs. district's 85%) and Social Studies (75% vs. district's 71%). However, this performance drops sharply in 7th and 8th grades, suggesting a challenge in maintaining academic momentum. The school also shows strong results with its Multi-racial student population, ranking 3rd out of 39 schools statewide in 2023-2024. However, a notable red flag is the dramatic decline in Special Education performance, dropping from the 73rd percentile in 2023-2024 to the 44th percentile in 2025-2026, which warrants attention from families with students in that program.

512

Students ?

12.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$15,244

Per pupil spending ?

54.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

14101 Roddy Road
Gonzales, LA 70737

(225) 391-6400

District: Ascension Parish

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

East Ascension High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Central Primary School
	Duplessis Primary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

44.5%

African American:

27.1%

Hispanic:

21.9%

See top rated Louisiana middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 80th percentile in 2024 → 63rd in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Louisiana average (68% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Above the Louisiana median (63rd percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 80th-percentile peak (2024) to 63rd (2026)

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

!Near the bottom of Ascension Parish's ranking

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school68%

District avg77%

Louisiana avg62%

169^th of 452

Louisiana public middle schools ?

Top 37%▲ up 5 pts since 2016

From top 42% (2016) to top 37% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

6^th of 8Middle Schools in the Ascension Parish

9^th of 116Ascension Parish among Louisiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	64.3	169 of 452	62.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.2	179 of 447	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2024	78.3	88 of 449	80.4%	★★★★☆
2023	69.4	136 of 465	70.8%	★★★★☆
2022	69.5	135 of 460	70.7%	★★★★☆
2021	75.9	102 of 459	77.8%	★★★★☆
2019	75.2	114 of 449	74.6%	★★★★☆
2018	63.3	127 of 411	69.1%	★★★☆☆
2017	62.8	170 of 437	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2016	60.0	184 of 435	57.7%	★★★☆☆
2015	75.9	93 of 482	80.7%	★★★★☆
2014	71.9	124 of 470	73.6%	★★★★☆
2013	71.2	125 of 457	72.6%	★★★★☆
2012	66.5	150 of 442	66.1%	★★★☆☆
2011	69.2	126 of 412	69.4%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.0	123 of 408	69.9%	★★★★☆
2009	78.8	73 of 425	82.8%	★★★★☆
2008	76.6	82 of 413	80.1%	★★★★☆
2007	77.6	74 of 396	81.3%	★★★★☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	59.4	126 of 344	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.2	81 of 344	76.5%	★★★★☆
2024	81.5	39 of 333	88.3%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	65 of 360	81.9%	★★★★☆
2022	73.9	59 of 360	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	80.5	40 of 352	88.6%	★★★★☆
2019	78.5	56 of 338	83.4%	★★★★☆
2018	77.4	43 of 313	86.3%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2018	62.7	40 of 170	76.5%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	46.1	29 of 63	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	30.2	45 of 56	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	44.0	28 of 48	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2023	32.9	45 of 56	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	36.0	32 of 48	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	29.2	40 of 55	27.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	73.7	6 of 38	84.2%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	63.9	158 of 434	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	59.3	169 of 415	59.3%	★★★☆☆
2024	75.5	97 of 415	76.6%	★★★★☆
2023	65.8	146 of 444	67.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	65.2	153 of 441	65.3%	★★★☆☆
2021	70.3	129 of 441	70.7%	★★★★☆
2019	74.8	108 of 418	74.2%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	43.7	111 of 178	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	39.3	104 of 155	32.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	60.3	53 of 152	65.1%	★★★☆☆
2023	42.8	98 of 163	39.9%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	109 of 163	33.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	38.5	99 of 153	35.3%	★★☆☆☆
2019	52.0	67 of 128	47.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	49.8	63 of 118	46.6%	★★☆☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	54.6	207 of 450	54.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	54.5	197 of 437	54.9%	★★★☆☆
2024	73.2	103 of 444	76.8%	★★★★☆
2023	60.4	167 of 459	63.6%	★★★☆☆
2022	61.8	158 of 458	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.7	123 of 455	73.0%	★★★★☆
2019	73.6	103 of 430	76.0%	★★★★☆
2018	72.8	95 of 403	76.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	63.5	168 of 435	61.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	63.9	144 of 414	65.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	78.7	79 of 426	81.5%	★★★★☆
2023	72.9	111 of 443	74.9%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	114 of 442	74.2%	★★★★☆
2021	77.8	86 of 442	80.5%	★★★★☆
2019	73.2	109 of 418	73.9%	★★★★☆

Military Connected

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	47.3	15 of 22	31.8%	★★☆☆☆
2025	50.4	11 of 21	47.6%	★★★☆☆
2024	55.6	9 of 18	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2023	46.4	14 of 22	36.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.7	14 of 21	33.3%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.5	14 of 25	44.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	42.7	13 of 22	40.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	56.8	8 of 17	52.9%	★★★☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	69.1	20 of 75	73.3%	★★★★☆
2024	89.5	3 of 39	92.3%	★★★★★
2023	74.1	14 of 63	77.8%	★★★★☆
2022	77.9	10 of 58	82.8%	★★★★☆
2021	80.6	8 of 57	86.0%	★★★★☆
2019	40.0	31 of 49	36.7%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	42.1	127 of 225	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2025	40.4	100 of 168	40.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	65.2	47 of 175	73.1%	★★★★☆
2023	60.1	57 of 206	72.3%	★★★★☆
2022	45.9	102 of 206	50.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	47.1	100 of 210	52.4%	★★★☆☆
2019	50.9	83 of 202	58.9%	★★★☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	72.1	89 of 338	73.7%	★★★★☆
2025	63.3	123 of 316	61.1%	★★★☆☆
2024	77.1	50 of 320	84.4%	★★★★☆
2023	68.2	97 of 352	72.4%	★★★★☆
2022	75.1	66 of 362	81.8%	★★★★☆
2021	80.7	52 of 358	85.5%	★★★★☆
2019	74.6	76 of 350	78.3%	★★★★☆
2018	81.0	42 of 338	87.6%	★★★★☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Disabled (2018)76th percentile+7 vs school

White (2026)74th percentile+11 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)73rd percentile+11 vs school

Female (2026)64th percentile~ school

African American (2026)63rd percentile~ school

Male (2026)61st percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)54th percentile-9 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)54th percentile-9 vs school

Special Education (2026)44th percentile-19 vs school

Hispanic (2026)38th percentile-25 vs school

Military Connected (2026)32nd percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?

English Language Arts73%+3 vs state

Social Studies68%+13 vs state

Mathematics63%~ state avg

5.0

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Schools Near Central Middle School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				LEAP Mathematics (2026)				LEAP English Language Arts (2026)				LEAP Social Studies (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	LEAP Mathematics 6th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 7th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 8th Grade	LEAP Mathematics All Grades	LEAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts All Grades	LEAP Social Studies 6th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 7th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 8th Grade	LEAP Social Studies All Grades	Total
Central Middle School	Public	6-8	14101 Roddy Road	Gonzales	70737	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 391-6400	512	41	12.3	54.1%	228 (44.5%)	139 (27.1%)	112 (21.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (6.1%)	64.3	169^th of 452 public middle schools	62.6%		61.2	179^th of 447 public middle schools	60.0%	10	71.0	63.0	56.0	63.0	86.0	65.0	68.0	73.0	75.0	57.0	73.0	68.0	$15,244
Galvez Middle School	Public	6-8	42018 Hwy 933	Prairieville	70769	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	No	(225) 391-6350	655	52	12.5	55.9%	335 (51.1%)	155 (23.7%)	120 (18.3%)	8 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.5%)	82.7	74^th of 452 public middle schools	83.6%		82.5	72^nd of 447 public middle schools	83.9%	2	92.0	82.0	62.0	80.0	87.0	87.0	76.0	84.0	75.0	71.0	73.0	74.0	$14,501
Prairieville Middle School	Public	6-8	16200 Hwy 930	Prairieville	70769	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	No	(225) 391-6300	835	59	14.1	39.0%	562 (67.3%)	135 (16.2%)	90 (10.8%)	17 (2.0%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	28 (3.4%)	92.7	21^st of 452 public middle schools	95.4%		88.1	37^th of 447 public middle schools	91.7%	16	93.0	93.0	80.0	89.0	90.0	93.0	87.0	91.0	81.0	83.0	85.0	83.0	$14,558
Gonzales Middle School	Public	6-8	1502 West Orice Roth Street	Gonzales	70737	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 391-6450	664	51	13.0	68.5%	77 (11.6%)	421 (63.4%)	129 (19.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	36 (5.4%)	47.9	253^rd of 452 public middle schools	44.0%		46.2	253^rd of 447 public middle schools	43.4%		61.0	61.0	45.0	56.0	79.0	68.0	60.0	68.0	53.0	51.0	56.0	54.0	$14,404
St. Amant Middle School	Public	6-8	44317 Hwy 429	Saint Amant	70774	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	No	(225) 391-6500	532	39	13.5	55.5%	319 (60.0%)	154 (28.9%)	43 (8.1%)	5 (0.9%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.7%)	79.2	98^th of 452 public middle schools	78.3%		82.3	76^th of 447 public middle schools	83.0%	22	84.0	83.0	64.0	79.0		76.0	85.0	83.0	69.0	65.0	71.0	69.0	$14,922
Dutchtown Middle School	Public	6-8	13078 Hwy 73	Geismar	70734	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	No	(225) 391-7800	605	41	14.6	39.0%	320 (52.9%)	167 (27.6%)	73 (12.1%)	17 (2.8%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	25 (4.1%)	91	27^th of 452 public middle schools	94.0%		91.1	21^st of 447 public middle schools	95.3%	6	86.0	88.0		87.0	86.0	91.0	89.0	89.0	76.0	83.0	90.0	83.0	$14,612
Bluff Middle School	Public	6-8	15464 Bluff Road	Prairieville	70769	Ascension Parish	Ascension Parish	No	No	No	(n/a)	(225) 391-2000	662	46	14.5	32.3%	369 (55.7%)	159 (24.0%)	62 (9.4%)	33 (5.0%)	2 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (5.6%)	93.3	16^th of 452 public middle schools	96.5%		91.9	19^th of 447 public middle schools	95.7%	3	91.0		80.0	91.0	90.0			92.0	83.0	87.0	86.0	85.0	$14,961
Juban Parc Junior High School	Public	6-8	12470 Brown Road	Denham Springs	70726	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	No	(225) 664-1001	564	33	17.0	74.8%	342 (60.6%)	127 (22.5%)	72 (12.8%)	6 (1.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (2.8%)	65.4	160^th of 452 public middle schools	64.6%		75.7	112^th of 447 public middle schools	74.9%	48	73.0	66.0	50.0	65.0	80.0	75.0	81.0	79.0	55.0	58.0	70.0	61.0	$13,980
Woodlawn Middle School	Public	6-8	14939 Tiger Bend Road	Baton Rouge	70817	East Baton Rouge Parish	East Baton Rouge Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 751-0436	807	63	12.7	67.8%	121 (15.0%)	447 (55.4%)	174 (21.6%)	27 (3.3%)	1 (0.1%)	2 (0.2%)	35 (4.3%)	34	313^th of 452 public middle schools	30.8%		46.6	250^th of 447 public middle schools	44.1%	63	61.0	50.0	48.0	52.0	63.0	62.0	67.0	65.0	28.0	35.0	57.0	40.0	$19,005
Southside Junior High School	Public	6-8	26535 Hwy 16	Denham Springs	70726	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 664-4221	536	31	17.4	78.4%	243 (45.3%)	97 (18.1%)	169 (31.5%)	13 (2.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	13 (2.4%)	54.9	216^th of 452 public middle schools	52.2%		58	191^st of 447 public middle schools	57.3%	25	72.0	61.0	46.0	61.0	76.0	70.0	66.0	70.0	51.0	62.0	60.0	57.0	$12,354

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

What district is Central Middle School in?

Ascension Parish

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 45% White, 27% African American, 22% Hispanic, 6% Two or more races.

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 512 students attended Central Middle School.

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 169^th of 452 Louisiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

Students who attend Central Middle School usually go on to attend East Ascension High School

Rate Central Middle School!

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Latest Louisiana data All new data »

2025–26 LEAP test scoresJul 6, 2026

2023–24 dropout ratesFeb 24, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataDec 1, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 graduation ratesNov 22, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Louisiana Dept of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.