Jonesboro-Hodge High School

Jonesboro-Hodge High School is a small high school in Jonesboro, LA, serving 198 students in grades 9-12 within the Jackson Parish school district, where nearly 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating high economic need.

Despite a very favorable student-to-teacher ratio of 8.3:1—a resource that could support individualized instruction—the school's academic performance is critically low, ranking in the bottom 2% of Louisiana high schools and earning a 0-star rating for two of the last three years. Test scores reveal a massive gap compared to the district: for example, Algebra I proficiency is 24% at the school versus 60% district-wide, Geometry is 14% versus 55%, and English I is 21% versus 63%. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with 32.7% of students missing substantial school in 2024-2025, far above the district's 21.1% and state's 22.5%. The graduation rate, while fluctuating, lags behind the district at 81.8% versus 89.8%.

Interestingly, the school's dropout rate is a relative bright spot, consistently lower than the state average (1.8% versus 3.1% in 2023-2024), suggesting it keeps students enrolled despite challenges. There was a slight improvement in 2024-2025, with English I and II scores reaching their highest levels in the data, hinting that recent interventions may be starting to help. However, the school faces a sharp, decade-long decline in state rankings, and performance across all student groups is very low, with no nearby schools for direct comparison within 20 miles.