Starks High School

Starks High School is a small, alternative public school in rural Starks, Louisiana, serving 284 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade within the Calcasieu Parish school district, a 4-star district ranked 31st in the state.

This school stands out for its very low student-to-teacher ratio of 7.8 to 1, which allows for personalized attention. Compared to the nearby Jake Drost School for Exceptional Children, Starks High serves a much larger and less economically disadvantaged population, with 46% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch versus 84% at Jake Drost. Starks also has a significantly lower chronic absenteeism rate (21.6% vs. 42.9%), suggesting stronger student engagement. A fascinating pattern emerges in academic performance: while middle school test scores lag behind district averages—for example, only 21% of 6th graders were proficient in Social Studies—the high school excels, with Algebra I proficiency at 82% and Geometry at 68%, both outperforming the district and state. In fact, Geometry hit a perfect 100% proficiency rate in a recent year. The 4th grade is another bright spot, with 94% proficiency in English Language Arts.

The school’s graduation rate has been volatile, dropping from a high of 95% to 83.3%, now below the district average of 93.2%. However, the dropout rate remains very low, often at 0%. A concerning trend is the doubling of chronic absenteeism from 10% to 21.6% over recent years, which could threaten future progress. Overall, Starks High’s small size and alternative setting appear to be powerful assets for high school students, enabling them to master complex courses, though the school faces challenges in replicating this success for its middle school grades.