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Central Middle School

Q: Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 143 rd of 452 Louisiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 6-8

143^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 452 Louisiana Middle Schools

Better than 68% of Louisiana middle schools

Summary

Central Middle School in Baton Rouge, LA, serves 1,012 students in grades 6 through 8 and is part of the high-performing Central Community School District, which ranks in the top 13% of districts statewide.

This school has a strong history of earning 4-star ratings from the state for over a decade, though its most recent ranking dipped to the 68th percentile (3 stars). What truly sets Central Middle apart is its exceptional performance with economically disadvantaged students—over 55% of its student body qualifies for free or reduced lunch, yet the school ranks in the 77th percentile for this subgroup. This is a stark contrast to nearby schools like Sherwood Middle Academic Academy (98th percentile overall, but with a lower poverty rate) or struggling schools like Capitol Middle School (1st percentile). Central Middle also excels in special education, ranking in the 73rd percentile for this subgroup—a service that many neighboring schools don't even report data for. Additionally, advanced 8th graders taking the high school-level English I exam achieved a perfect 100% proficiency rate, far exceeding district and state averages.

However, the school faces some emerging challenges. Its overall ranking dropped 15 percentile points from the previous year, driven largely by a decline in male student performance (from the 84th to 63rd percentile). Chronic absenteeism has more than tripled to 15.7%, now higher than the district average. Hispanic students also underperform compared to their peers, ranking in the 37th percentile. While Central Middle remains a reliable, high-quality option—especially compared to Park Forest Middle School (6th percentile) or Southeast Middle School—these trends suggest the school needs to address specific issues to return to its former trajectory of excellence.

1,012

Students ?

13.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,105

Per pupil spending ?

55.9%

Free/discounted lunch ?

12656 Sullivan Road
Baton Rouge, LA 70818

(225) 261-2237

District: Central Community School District

Students who attend Central Middle School usually attend:

High:

Central High School

Feeder schools for Central Middle School:

Elementary:	Bellingrath Hills Elementary School
	Central Intermediate School
	Tanglewood Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

66.0%

African American:

19.8%

Hispanic:

9.0%

See top rated Louisiana middle schools

Compare Central Middle School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 87th percentile in 2016 → 68th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Louisiana average (78% vs 63% meeting standards)

✓Above the Louisiana median (68th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped — down 19 percentile points since 2016

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

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school78%

District avg74%

Louisiana avg63%

143^rd of 452

Louisiana public middle schools ?

Top 32%▼ down 18 pts since 2016

From top 13% (2016) to top 32% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

13^th of 116Central Community School District 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	69.6	143 of 452	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	77.7	102 of 447	77.2%	★★★★☆
2024	80.1	78 of 449	82.6%	★★★★☆
2023	75.2	101 of 465	78.3%	★★★★☆
2022	76.6	94 of 460	79.6%	★★★★☆
2021	77.6	93 of 459	79.7%	★★★★☆
2019	83.3	63 of 449	86.0%	★★★★☆
2018	77.5	61 of 411	85.2%	★★★★☆
2017	82.1	62 of 437	85.8%	★★★★☆
2016	83.0	58 of 435	86.7%	★★★★☆
2015	79.8	76 of 482	84.2%	★★★★☆
2014	81.6	65 of 470	86.2%	★★★★☆
2013	83.2	48 of 457	89.5%	★★★★☆
2012	74.3	106 of 442	76.0%	★★★★☆
2011	67.0	137 of 412	66.7%	★★★☆☆
2010	70.2	119 of 408	70.8%	★★★★☆
2009	60.7	188 of 425	55.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	54.4	209 of 413	49.4%	★★☆☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	64.2	105 of 344	69.5%	★★★★☆
2025	72.9	73 of 344	78.8%	★★★★☆
2024	75.1	61 of 333	81.7%	★★★★☆
2023	65.6	87 of 360	75.8%	★★★★☆
2022	75.2	53 of 360	85.3%	★★★★☆
2021	71.4	64 of 352	81.8%	★★★★☆
2019	78.6	55 of 338	83.7%	★★★★☆
2018	79.7	42 of 313	86.6%	★★★★☆

Disabled

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2018	66.8	33 of 170	80.6%	★★★★☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2023	40.6	34 of 56	39.3%	★★☆☆☆
2022	55.8	17 of 48	64.6%	★★★☆☆
2021	42.7	28 of 55	49.1%	★★★☆☆
2019	18.0	34 of 38	10.5%	★☆☆☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	73.9	111 of 434	74.4%	★★★★☆
2025	79.0	83 of 415	80.0%	★★★★☆
2024	78.7	78 of 415	81.2%	★★★★☆
2023	77.2	85 of 444	80.9%	★★★★☆
2022	79.5	73 of 441	83.4%	★★★★☆
2021	82.1	60 of 441	86.4%	★★★★☆
2019	80.4	69 of 418	83.5%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	43.6	112 of 178	37.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	44.1	89 of 155	42.6%	★★☆☆☆
2024	51.8	74 of 152	51.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	41.7	102 of 163	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2022	44.7	95 of 163	41.7%	★★☆☆☆
2021	46.5	84 of 153	45.1%	★★☆☆☆
2019	36.7	90 of 128	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2018	51.5	60 of 118	49.2%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	63.1	155 of 450	65.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	73.4	104 of 437	76.2%	★★★★☆
2024	73.2	102 of 444	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	67.2	128 of 459	72.1%	★★★★☆
2022	69.1	119 of 458	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	68.0	127 of 455	72.1%	★★★★☆
2019	77.0	89 of 430	79.3%	★★★★☆
2018	79.5	59 of 403	85.4%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	64.5	159 of 435	63.4%	★★★☆☆
2025	74.6	105 of 414	74.6%	★★★★☆
2024	80.4	70 of 426	83.6%	★★★★☆
2023	71.3	116 of 443	73.8%	★★★★☆
2022	73.5	103 of 442	76.7%	★★★★☆
2021	70.4	126 of 442	71.5%	★★★★☆
2019	82.5	62 of 418	85.2%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	61.3	28 of 75	62.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	46.2	23 of 41	43.9%	★★☆☆☆
2024	68.5	7 of 39	82.1%	★★★★☆
2023	57.5	27 of 63	57.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	58.5	20 of 58	65.5%	★★★☆☆
2021	55.0	24 of 57	57.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	78.6	9 of 49	81.6%	★★★★☆
2018	84.0	6 of 33	81.8%	★★★★☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	66.9	61 of 225	72.9%	★★★★☆
2025	67.7	39 of 168	76.8%	★★★★☆
2024	70.8	38 of 175	78.3%	★★★★☆
2023	53.4	74 of 206	64.1%	★★★☆☆
2022	55.5	65 of 206	68.4%	★★★☆☆
2021	67.8	47 of 210	77.6%	★★★★☆
2019	69.0	39 of 202	80.7%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	60.0	142 of 338	58.0%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.7	80 of 316	74.7%	★★★★☆
2024	75.5	57 of 320	82.2%	★★★★☆
2023	71.8	82 of 352	76.7%	★★★★☆
2022	70.5	94 of 362	74.0%	★★★★☆
2021	72.9	85 of 358	76.3%	★★★★☆
2019	81.6	39 of 350	88.9%	★★★★☆
2018	84.5	35 of 338	89.6%	★★★★☆

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)81st percentile-5 vs school

Female (2026)74th percentile+6 vs school

Special Education (2026)73rd percentile+5 vs school

African American (2026)69th percentile~ school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)66th percentile-3 vs school

Male (2026)63rd percentile-5 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)63rd percentile-6 vs school

White (2026)58th percentile-10 vs school

English Language Learner (2023)39th percentile-39 vs school

Hispanic (2026)37th percentile-31 vs school

By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?

English I100%+34 vs state

English Language Arts76%+6 vs state

Mathematics72%+10 vs state

Social Studies65%+10 vs state

5.0

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What people are saying

by a student
Friday, May 8, 2020

THIS IS THE BEST SCHOOL IN BATON ROUGE!! Teachers are incredibly kind and offering to their students and other staff. The environment is great, using the 1:1 Program for laptop use for the students. Big school and big learning opportunities. They have electives such as, IBCA, Art, Spanish, Band, Crafts/Cooking Class (I forgot the name of it). This is an amazing school and I would definitely enroll your child into this school. Close Quote

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)					LEAP Algebra I (2026)	LEAP English I (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 5th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 6th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 7th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 8th Grade	LEAP Social Studies All Grades	LEAP Algebra I End of Course	LEAP English I End of Course	Total
Central Middle School	Public	6-8	12656 Sullivan Road	Baton Rouge	70818	East Baton Rouge Parish	Central Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 261-2237	1,012	73	13.8	55.9%	668 (66.0%)	200 (19.8%)	91 (9.0%)	13 (1.3%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (3.8%)	69.6	143^rd of 452 public middle schools	68.4%		77.7	102^nd of 447 public middle schools	77.2%	41	78.0	71.0	61.0	72.0	79.0	71.0	78.0	76.0		61.0	59.0	72.0	65.0		100.0	$13,105
Live Oak Junior High	Public	7-8	35086 HWY 16 Spur	Watson	70786	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	No	(225) 667-4195	654	40	16.2	68.7%	524 (80.1%)	66 (10.1%)	39 (6.0%)	3 (0.5%)	4 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	18 (2.8%)	88	50^th of 452 public middle schools	88.9%		79.9	89^th of 447 public middle schools	80.1%	39		84.0	71.0	79.0		87.0	86.0	87.0			76.0	88.0	81.0			$11,422
Live Oak Middle School	Public	5-6	8444 Cecil Drive	Watson	70706	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 664-3211	672	37	17.9	67.7%	548 (81.5%)	60 (8.9%)	38 (5.7%)	7 (1.0%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	17 (2.5%)								(n/a)	82.0			77.0	89.0			87.0	69.0	61.0			65.0			$10,776
Baker Middle School	Public	6-8	5905 Groom Rd	Baker	70714	East Baton Rouge Parish	City of Baker School District	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 775-5924	155	6	25.8	85.8%	7 (4.5%)	127 (81.9%)	18 (11.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.9%)								(n/a)																$17,074
Park Forest Middle School	Public	6-8	3760 Aletha Drive	Baton Rouge	70814	East Baton Rouge Parish	East Baton Rouge Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 275-6650	445	47	9.4	74.4%	9 (2.0%)	306 (68.8%)	116 (26.1%)	8 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.9%)	8.7	423^rd of 452 public middle schools	6.4%		3.1	436^th of 447 public middle schools	2.5%	13	32.0	31.0	33.0	32.0	35.0	40.0	49.0	41.0		16.0	32.0	38.0	28.0			$20,679
Denham Springs Junior High School	Public	6-8	401 Hatchell Lane	Denham Springs	70726	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 665-8898	811	49	16.3	74.2%	456 (56.2%)	126 (15.5%)	186 (22.9%)	6 (0.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	35 (4.3%)	83.3	70^th of 452 public middle schools	84.5%		77.4	105^th of 447 public middle schools	76.5%	35	84.0	80.0	67.0	78.0	85.0	84.0	79.0	83.0		71.0	76.0	78.0	75.0			$11,385
Scotlandville Pre-Engineering Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	9147 Elm Grove Garden	Baton Rouge	70807	East Baton Rouge Parish	East Baton Rouge Parish	No	Yes	No	Yes	(225) 775-0776	216	19	11.2	90.3%	1 (0.5%)	208 (96.3%)	4 (1.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (1.4%)	19.2	382^nd of 452 public middle schools	15.5%		48.4	236^th of 447 public middle schools	47.2%	146	36.0		22.0	34.0	46.0	60.0	53.0	53.0			48.0	46.0	39.0	57.0		$25,028
Sherwood Middle Academic Academy	Public, Magnet	6-8	1020 Marlbrook Dr	Baton Rouge	70815	East Baton Rouge Parish	East Baton Rouge Parish	No	Yes	No	Yes	(225) 272-3090	759	47	16.2	49.7%	211 (27.8%)	327 (43.1%)	69 (9.1%)	129 (17.0%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	19 (2.5%)	97.1	9^th of 452 public middle schools	98.0%		96.2	7^th of 447 public middle schools	98.4%	2	94.0		91.0	94.0			99.0			88.0	91.0		92.0			$15,926
Capitol Middle School	Public	6-8	5100 Greenwell Springs Rd.	Baton Rouge	70806	East Baton Rouge Parish	East Baton Rouge Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 231-9292	413	43	9.5	88.4%	6 (1.5%)	355 (86.0%)	49 (11.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.7%)								(n/a)																$24,085
Northwestern Middle School	Public	7-8	5200 East Central Avenue	Zachary	70791	East Baton Rouge Parish	Zachary Community School District	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 654-9201	841	63	13.4	60.4%	253 (30.1%)	514 (61.1%)	30 (3.6%)	13 (1.5%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	30 (3.6%)	83.9	69^th of 452 public middle schools	84.7%		85.2	54^th of 447 public middle schools	87.9%	15		79.0	70.0	74.0		82.0	84.0	83.0			80.0	77.0	79.0			$14,750

Frequently Asked Questions about Central Middle School

What is the racial makeup of Central Middle School?

Students at Central Middle School are 66% White, 20% African American, 9% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

What high school do graduates of Central Middle School attend?

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

Is Central Middle School a good school?

Central Middle School ranks 143^rd of 452 Louisiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Central Middle School in?

Central Community School District

How many students attend Central Middle School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,012 students attended Central Middle 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.