Hammond Eastside Magnet

Hammond Eastside Magnet is a large PK-8 school in Hammond, LA, serving 1,340 students within the Tangipahoa Parish school district, and it presents a unique academic profile that sets it apart from nearby schools. While the school has received a 1-star rating for the last five years and faces challenges like a chronic absenteeism rate of 25.6% (higher than the state average of 22.5%), it boasts an exceptional strength in its advanced programs. In the 2025-2026 school year, 100% of students taking Algebra I and English I End-of-Course exams scored proficient or above, dramatically outperforming district averages of 51% and 53%, respectively. This suggests that while the school struggles to raise grade-level proficiency for the majority of its students—especially in math, where only 43% are proficient compared to the district's 49%—it is highly effective at accelerating its highest-achieving students.

One of the most interesting findings is the school's inconsistent performance across grade levels and student groups. For example, 5th graders achieved 74% proficiency in English Language Arts (ELA), while 3rd graders reached only 43%, indicating that instructional quality or student preparedness varies significantly from grade to grade. Additionally, the school shows a clear strength in ELA, with 61% of students proficient, outperforming the district average of 58%, while math proficiency lags behind. The school also serves as a "bright spot" for its Hispanic students, who ranked in the 61st percentile statewide in 2024-2025, a stark contrast to the school's overall 27th percentile. However, support for economically disadvantaged students (74% of the student body) and special education students has been declining, with their statewide percentile ranks dropping to the 16th and 15th percentiles, respectively.

Compared to nearby schools, Hammond Eastside Magnet's story is one of contrasts. Just 5.4 miles away, Southeastern LA University Lab School serves a similar grade span but achieves 88% math and 91% ELA proficiency with a 2.3% chronic absenteeism rate, highlighting how socioeconomic factors (only 19.8% economically disadvantaged there) can influence outcomes. Despite a low student-teacher ratio of 12.6:1—lower than Champ Cooper Elementary School's 15.2:1—Hammond Eastside Magnet's overall performance remains low. This suggests that while the school invests in staffing and advanced coursework, it must address systemic issues like chronic absenteeism and inconsistent instruction to better serve its diverse student body.