AmiKiDs Caddo

AmiKiDs Caddo is a small middle school in Shreveport, LA, serving just 60 students in grades 6-8 and facing profound challenges as part of the Caddo Parish school district, which ranks in the bottom quarter of Louisiana districts.

The school's academic performance is the lowest in the state, with only 5% of students proficient in math and 19% in English Language Arts—dramatically below the district averages of 51% and 60%, respectively. This is far behind nearby schools like Fair Park Middle School, which has 24% math proficiency, and Caddo Middle Career and Technology School at 30% in ELA. The core issue appears to be a crisis-level chronic absenteeism rate of 59.2%—nearly double the district average of 31% and over 2.5 times the state average. This means nearly 6 out of 10 students are missing so much school that learning becomes nearly impossible. In contrast, schools with lower absenteeism, like Caddo Parish Middle Magnet School (10.8% absenteeism), achieve 100% proficiency in both math and ELA.

Despite these struggles, there is one positive sign: the school's dropout rate is just 0.7%, lower than the district's 4.1% and the state's 3.1%, suggesting a commitment to keeping students enrolled. However, the student-to-teacher ratio is reported as an anomalous 6000:1, likely a data error but hinting at potential staffing challenges. The school serves a student body where over 93% qualify for free or reduced lunch, reflecting extreme economic hardship. Any meaningful improvement must first tackle the root causes of absenteeism, which are likely tied to poverty, health, and transportation issues in the community.