Beta You're viewing our redesigned school page. Prefer the classic layout?

Ponchatoula Junior High School

Q: Is Ponchatoula Junior High School a good school?

Ponchatoula Junior High School ranks 317 th of 452 Louisiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 7-8

317^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 452 Louisiana Middle Schools

Better than 30% of Louisiana middle schools

Summary

Ponchatoula Junior High School serves 723 students in grades 7 and 8 within the Tangipahoa Parish school district, where 66.8% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the school currently holds a 2-star rating (30th percentile) in Louisiana.

This school presents a mixed picture for parents. On one hand, it shows a clear strength in Social Studies, with 50% of students proficient—well above nearby Natalbany Middle (32%) and Greenville Park Leadership Academy (26%). Even more impressive, 99-100% of students taking the English I End-of-Course exam have been proficient for three consecutive years, far exceeding district and state averages. However, the school struggles significantly with chronic absenteeism, which sits at 31.2%—nearly 9 points higher than the state average and much worse than high-performing peers like Madisonville Junior High (16.1%) or Albany Middle School (19.7%). Academic performance also declines between 7th and 8th grade, especially in math, where proficiency drops from 54% to 48%.

Despite these challenges, the school has a low dropout rate of just 1.4%, well below the district (4.4%) and state (3.1%), suggesting it keeps students on track to graduate. Yet, the school struggles to support all students equally, with particularly low outcomes for special education students (8th percentile statewide) and those from low-income backgrounds. Nearby schools like Springfield Middle School and Loranger Middle School offer stronger overall performance, making it important for parents to weigh the school's pockets of excellence against its systemic attendance and equity issues.

723

Students ?

14.1

Student/teacher ratio ?

$13,433

Per pupil spending ?

66.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

315 East Oak Street
Ponchatoula, LA 70454

(985) 370-5322

District: Tangipahoa Parish

Students who attend Ponchatoula Junior High School usually attend:

High:

Ponchatoula High School

Feeder schools for Ponchatoula Junior High School:

Elementary:	D.C. Reeves Elementary School
	Perrin Early Learning Center
	Tucker Memorial Elementary School

Racial breakdown:

White:

43.0%

African American:

40.2%

Hispanic:

11.2%

See top rated Louisiana middle schools

Compare Ponchatoula Junior High School to nearby middle schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 57th percentile in 2016 → 30th in 2026

Worth a look

!High chronic absenteeism (31% vs 22% Louisiana)

!Ranking has slipped — down 27 percentile points since 2016

!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school64%

District avg51%

Louisiana avg63%

317^th of 452

Louisiana public middle schools ?

Bottom 30%▼ down 27 pts since 2016

From top 43% (2016) to bottom 30% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Middle Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

2^nd of 6Middle Schools in the Tangipahoa Parish

92^nd of 116Tangipahoa Parish among Louisiana districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	33.0	317 of 452	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	26.8	343 of 447	23.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	34.4	304 of 449	32.3%	★★☆☆☆
2023	40.5	281 of 465	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.6	281 of 460	38.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	44.2	259 of 459	43.6%	★★☆☆☆
2019	43.7	269 of 449	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2018	33.7	279 of 411	32.1%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.5	226 of 437	48.3%	★★☆☆☆
2016	58.6	189 of 435	56.6%	★★★☆☆
2015	60.5	189 of 482	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2014	64.1	165 of 470	64.9%	★★★☆☆
2013	56.8	201 of 457	56.0%	★★★☆☆
2012	56.1	205 of 442	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2011	49.6	249 of 412	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2010	49.2	239 of 408	41.4%	★★☆☆☆
2009	62.0	180 of 425	57.6%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.7	162 of 413	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2007	60.8	176 of 396	55.6%	★★★☆☆

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	29.6	255 of 344	25.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.1	300 of 344	12.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.2	249 of 333	25.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	35.9	230 of 360	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2022	36.9	221 of 360	38.6%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	230 of 352	34.7%	★★☆☆☆
2019	28.7	250 of 338	26.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	42.8	190 of 313	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

English Language Learner

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	37.7	39 of 63	38.1%	★★☆☆☆
2025	54.3	15 of 56	73.2%	★★★★☆
2024	43.4	29 of 48	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	48.1	21 of 48	56.3%	★★★☆☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	38.5	287 of 434	33.9%	★★☆☆☆
2025	35.8	276 of 415	33.5%	★★☆☆☆
2024	38.4	273 of 415	34.2%	★★☆☆☆
2023	44.1	262 of 444	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.1	282 of 441	36.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	34.0	305 of 441	30.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	47.9	229 of 418	45.2%	★★☆☆☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	29.8	140 of 178	21.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	35.1	112 of 155	27.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	32.7	108 of 152	28.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	17.8	140 of 163	14.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	22.3	134 of 163	17.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	19.4	130 of 153	15.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	53.9	61 of 128	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2018	37.9	82 of 118	30.5%	★★☆☆☆

Homeless

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2022	52.8	12 of 29	58.6%	★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	26.4	350 of 450	22.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	19.3	373 of 437	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	24.1	357 of 444	19.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	28.9	335 of 459	27.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	30.5	321 of 458	29.9%	★★☆☆☆
2021	36.0	291 of 455	36.0%	★★☆☆☆
2019	35.5	300 of 430	30.2%	★★☆☆☆
2018	41.2	262 of 403	35.0%	★★☆☆☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	30.1	317 of 435	27.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	24.0	327 of 414	21.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	30.8	301 of 426	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	37.3	279 of 443	37.0%	★★☆☆☆
2022	40.9	261 of 442	41.0%	★★☆☆☆
2021	51.9	211 of 442	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2019	37.9	268 of 418	35.9%	★★☆☆☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	31.8	52 of 75	30.7%	★★☆☆☆
2025	38.5	29 of 41	29.3%	★★☆☆☆
2024	13.7	37 of 39	5.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2023	25.5	53 of 63	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	27.4	49 of 58	15.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	36.5	40 of 57	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	33.9	35 of 49	28.6%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.1	22 of 33	33.3%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	14.9	207 of 225	8.0%	☆☆☆☆☆
2024	33.6	120 of 175	31.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	30.2	148 of 206	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	25.1	156 of 206	24.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	28.3	160 of 210	23.8%	★☆☆☆☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	25.4	280 of 338	17.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	22.3	273 of 316	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	38.3	219 of 320	31.6%	★★☆☆☆
2023	35.3	252 of 352	28.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	35.2	256 of 362	29.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	42.4	224 of 358	37.4%	★★☆☆☆
2019	40.0	233 of 350	33.4%	★★☆☆☆
2018	43.2	205 of 338	39.3%	★★☆☆☆

How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)

Homeless (2022)59th percentile+20 vs school

English Language Learner (2026)38th percentile+8 vs school

Female (2026)34th percentile+4 vs school

Multi-racial (2026)31st percentile~ school

Male (2026)27th percentile-3 vs school

African American (2026)26th percentile-4 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)22nd percentile-8 vs school

Hispanic (2026)21st percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)17th percentile-13 vs school

Special Education (2026)8th percentile-22 vs school

By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?

English I100%+34 vs state

English Language Arts56%-14 vs state

Mathematics52%-10 vs state

Social Studies50%-5 vs state

★

No ratings yet

Be the first to rate Ponchatoula Junior High School and help other families decide.

Rate Ponchatoula Junior High School

Have first-hand experience? A quick rating - and a sentence or two about what stands out (teachers, academics, safety, communication) - helps other families know what to expect.

Takes about a minute. We email you a link to verify your review - your address is never shown publicly.

Tap a star to rate

Reviews

No written reviews yet. If you know this school, be the first to share what stands out.

Schools Near Ponchatoula Junior High School

Load more schools when map is moved

Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				LEAP Mathematics (2026)						LEAP English Language Arts (2026)						LEAP Social Studies (2026)						LEAP English I (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	LEAP Mathematics 4th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 5th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 6th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 7th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 8th Grade	LEAP Mathematics All Grades	LEAP English Language Arts 4th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 5th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts All Grades	LEAP Social Studies 4th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 5th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 6th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 7th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 8th Grade	LEAP Social Studies All Grades	LEAP English I End of Course	Total
Ponchatoula Junior High School	Public	7-8	315 East Oak Street	Ponchatoula	70454	Tangipahoa Parish	Tangipahoa Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(985) 370-5322	723	51	14.1	66.8%	311 (43.0%)	291 (40.2%)	81 (11.2%)	8 (1.1%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (4.4%)	33	317^th of 452 public middle schools	29.9%		26.8	343^rd of 447 public middle schools	23.3%	26				54.0	48.0	52.0				52.0	60.0	56.0				40.0	59.0	50.0	100.0	$13,433
Martha Vinyard Elementary School	Public	5-6	40105 Dunson Road	Ponchatoula	70454	Tangipahoa Parish	Tangipahoa Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(985) 386-6364	589	42	13.8	71.3%	244 (41.4%)	232 (39.4%)	77 (13.1%)	3 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (5.4%)								(n/a)		52.0	58.0			54.0		64.0	57.0			60.0		46.0	41.0			44.0		$11,982
Greenville Park Leadership Academy	Public	4-8	111 JW Davis Drive	Hammond	70401	Tangipahoa Parish	Tangipahoa Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(985) 345-2654	384	36	10.5	88.5%	12 (3.1%)	324 (84.4%)	35 (9.1%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (3.1%)	8.4	426^th of 452 public middle schools	5.8%		11.8	406^th of 447 public middle schools	9.2%	20	29.0	41.0	31.0		30.0	31.0	42.0	47.0	46.0	36.0	34.0	42.0	23.0	22.0		34.0	37.0	26.0		$18,934
Springfield Middle School	Public	5-8	24145 Coates Road	Springfield	70462	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 294-3306	440	31	14.1	78.9%	334 (75.9%)	63 (14.3%)	23 (5.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.2%)	19 (4.3%)	81.8	78^th of 452 public middle schools	82.7%		79.3	94^th of 447 public middle schools	79.0%	16			84.0	83.0	60.0	76.0				78.0	86.0	82.0		70.0	67.0	68.0	89.0	73.0		$14,316
Natalbany Middle	Public	4-8	47370 Morrison Blvd	Tickfaw	70466	Tangipahoa Parish	Tangipahoa Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(985) 345-0854	347	33	10.5	81.6%	52 (15.0%)	198 (57.1%)	70 (20.2%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	24 (6.9%)	12.3	411^th of 452 public middle schools	9.1%		10.9	408^th of 447 public middle schools	8.7%	3	53.0	29.0	37.0	32.0	28.0	37.0	52.0	61.0	54.0	49.0	53.0	54.0	38.0	27.0	26.0	36.0	34.0	32.0	100.0	$13,690
Albany Middle School	Public	5-8	29801 Reeves Lane	Albany	70711	Livingston Parish	Livingston Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(225) 567-5231	603	37	16.1	80.1%	451 (74.8%)	61 (10.1%)	69 (11.4%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (3.5%)	89.7	36^th of 452 public middle schools	92.0%		79.8	91^st of 447 public middle schools	79.6%	55		75.0	93.0	86.0		85.0		75.0	88.0		88.0	86.0		58.0	66.0	84.0	83.0	72.0		$12,903
Loranger Middle School	Public	5-8	54123 Allman Street	Loranger	70446	Tangipahoa Parish	Tangipahoa Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(985) 878-9455	590	41	14.2	69.8%	328 (55.6%)	175 (29.7%)	49 (8.3%)	1 (0.2%)	1 (0.2%)	2 (0.3%)	34 (5.8%)	37.9	297^th of 452 public middle schools	34.3%		43.3	265^th of 447 public middle schools	40.7%	32		37.0	60.0	61.0	41.0	51.0		63.0	65.0	70.0	59.0	64.0		43.0	39.0	48.0	49.0	44.0	99.0	$14,734
Madisonville Junior High School	Public	7-8	106 Cedar Street	Madisonville	70447	St. Tammany Parish	St. Tammany Parish	No	No	No	No	(985) 845-3355	647	46	14.2	21.2%	556 (85.9%)	34 (5.3%)	29 (4.5%)	11 (1.7%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.2%)	14 (2.2%)	89	42^nd of 452 public middle schools	90.7%		86.6	46^th of 447 public middle schools	89.7%	4				81.0	77.0					90.0	88.0	90.0				80.0	80.0	80.0		$14,709
Folsom Junior High School	Public	6-8	83055 Hay Hollow Road	Folsom	70437	St. Tammany Parish	St. Tammany Parish	No	No	No	No	(985) 796-3724	183	20	9.3	49.7%	125 (68.3%)	31 (16.9%)	19 (10.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (4.4%)	81.8	79^th of 452 public middle schools	82.5%		82.8	70^th of 447 public middle schools	84.3%	9			82.0	89.0	69.0	81.0				91.0	84.0	86.0			61.0	66.0	68.0	64.0		$22,524
Pine View Middle School	Public	4-6	1200 West 27th Avenue	Covington	70433	St. Tammany Parish	St. Tammany Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(985) 892-6204	694	50	13.7	61.5%	325 (46.8%)	175 (25.2%)	151 (21.8%)	8 (1.2%)	2 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	32 (4.6%)								(n/a)	66.0	51.0	65.0			60.0	68.0	67.0	72.0			69.0	51.0	49.0	46.0			49.0		$16,226

Frequently Asked Questions about Ponchatoula Junior High School

How many students attend Ponchatoula Junior High School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 723 students attended Ponchatoula Junior High School.

What high school do graduates of Ponchatoula Junior High School attend?

Students who attend Ponchatoula Junior High School usually go on to attend Ponchatoula High School

What district is Ponchatoula Junior High School in?

Tangipahoa Parish

What is the racial makeup of Ponchatoula Junior High School?

Students at Ponchatoula Junior High School are 43% White, 40% African American, 11% Hispanic, 4% Two or more races, 1% Asian.

Is Ponchatoula Junior High School a good school?

Ponchatoula Junior High School ranks 317^th of 452 Louisiana middle schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Rate Ponchatoula Junior High School!

Other helpful SchoolDigger resources...

Compare to nearby schools

LALouisiana Middle School Rankings

LALouisiana District Rankings

Schools in Ponchatoula, LA

Sign up for updates!

Be the first to know when there is an update for Ponchatoula Junior High School!

Latest Louisiana data All new data »

2025–26 LEAP test scoresJul 6, 2026

2023–24 dropout ratesFeb 24, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataDec 1, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 graduation ratesNov 22, 2025

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Louisiana Dept of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.