Beekman Charter School

Beekman Charter School in Bastrop, LA, is a public alternative school serving 1,053 students in grades PK-12 within the Morehouse Parish district, where a majority of students come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds. The school stands out for its strong graduation rate of 89.7% in 2024-2025, which exceeds both the district and state averages, and a very low dropout rate of just 0.8%, showing that the school is effective at keeping students on track to earn their diplomas. However, this success coexists with a significant challenge: a chronic absenteeism rate of 39.5%, which is nearly double the state average of 22.5% and far higher than the 12.2% rate at the nearby Morehouse Magnet School.

Academically, Beekman Charter School consistently outperforms the Morehouse Parish district average across most subjects, but it generally falls below the Louisiana state average. For example, in 2025-2026, Beekman’s all-grades math proficiency was 48% compared to the state’s 62%, while its English Language Arts score of 70% matched the state average exactly, highlighting a notable strength. In contrast, Morehouse Magnet School achieves near-perfect test scores, such as 95% proficiency in 4th-grade math and 100% in 8th-grade English, reflecting its selective magnet program and highly motivated student population. This comparison underscores the different missions of the two schools: Beekman serves a larger, more diverse student body, while Morehouse Magnet is a smaller, specialized program.

One interesting finding is the “graduation vs. absenteeism” paradox at Beekman, where high graduation rates coexist with high absenteeism, suggesting that absenteeism may be concentrated in younger grades while interventions focus on older students. Additionally, a spike in free/reduced lunch data from 1.86% in 2022-2023 to 59.54% in 2024-2025 is likely a data artifact from a change in reporting, not a sudden economic shift. Overall, Beekman Charter School is a solid performer within its district, particularly in English Language Arts and graduation, but addressing chronic absenteeism is key to improving its below-state-average test scores.