David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy

David Thibodaux STEM Magnet Academy is a high-performing public magnet school in Lafayette, LA, serving 1,362 students in grades 6 through 12 within the Lafayette Parish school system. This selective-admissions school is a consistent academic powerhouse, earning a 5-star rating from SchoolDigger for eight of the last ten years and ranking 9th out of 325 high schools statewide (97th percentile). The school serves a moderately diverse student body, with approximately 40% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, a figure significantly lower than most surrounding schools.

The most striking differentiator is the school's exceptional academic performance across all subjects. In the 2025-2026 school year, David Thibodaux posted 89% proficiency in Math and 92% in ELA, which is 20-30 percentage points higher than the district average and the next-best nearby school, Lafayette High School (70% and 82% respectively). The school excels in STEM subjects, with proficiency rates of 85% in Biology and 90% in Geometry, far exceeding district averages. Student engagement is equally impressive, with a dropout rate of just 0.4% and a chronic absenteeism rate of 11.1%—less than half the district average of 24.0%. This stands in stark contrast to nearby Northside High School, located just 0.75 miles away, which has a 62.1% chronic absenteeism rate and proficiency scores 40-60 points lower.

Perhaps most impressive is the school's ability to achieve exceptional results for all student subgroups. Every subgroup—including students from low socioeconomic backgrounds—is ranked in the top 5% of the state (96th percentile or higher). The "Low Socio Economic Status Students" subgroup is ranked 10th in the state (97th percentile), proving the school is not merely a collection of high-achieving students but is actively educating students from all backgrounds to an elite level. While the smaller Early College Academy (ranked #4) achieves near-perfect test scores, David Thibodaux's performance is arguably more impressive given its much larger size and higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students. The school's only relative area for improvement is Social Studies, where the 76% proficiency rate, while still excellent compared to the district (60%), is the lowest of the core subjects tested.