Jewel M. Sumner Middle School

Jewel M. Sumner Middle School in Kentwood, LA, serves 306 students in grades 6-8 and is part of the Tangipahoa Parish school district, where a large majority of students (79.4%) come from low-income households.

This school has some notable strengths, particularly in math, where it consistently outperforms the district average—54% of students were proficient in math in the most recent year, compared to 49% for the district. Additionally, students in advanced courses like Algebra I and English I achieve exceptional results, with 93% and 90% proficiency rates, respectively. However, the school faces significant challenges. Chronic absenteeism is a major concern, with a rate of 30.8% that is much higher than the state average of 22.5%. The school also struggles to support all its students equally; there is a large and growing achievement gap between male and female students, and performance for special education students is critically low, ranking in the 7th percentile statewide.

Compared to nearby schools, Sumner Middle is a mixed picture. It performs similarly to Loranger Middle School in the same district, with a slight edge in math but a similar chronic absenteeism rate. It significantly outperforms Amite Westside Middle Magnet, which ranks much lower. However, Franklinton Junior High School in the Washington Parish district, which has a similar poverty rate, achieves better overall results, including higher English and social studies scores and a lower chronic absenteeism rate. This suggests that while Sumner Middle has pockets of excellence, it needs targeted efforts to improve attendance and support for its most vulnerable students to reverse its declining trajectory.