Summary:
Zip code 70122 in New Orleans is home to six high schools serving grades 9-12, presenting a starkly diverse educational landscape that ranges from a nationally-ranked powerhouse to schools facing significant challenges with attendance and academic performance.
The standout school in the area is Benjamin Franklin High School, ranked #2 in the state with near-perfect test proficiency (99-100% in core subjects), the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 5.3%, and a dropout rate of just 0.1%. In stark contrast, McDonogh 35 Senior High School struggles with a 70.4% chronic absenteeism rate—over three times the state average—and test scores that fall below state averages in every subject, despite a respectable 89.1% graduation rate. The smallest school, The Delores Taylor Arthur School for Young Men, serves 77 students with the highest poverty rate (92.21% free/reduced lunch) but invests heavily in personalized attention with a 4.8:1 student-teacher ratio, though it faces a 6.7% dropout rate. Rooted School (152 students) offers a middle ground with a 63.16% poverty rate and a 15.2:1 student-teacher ratio.
A major concern for parents is data transparency: John F. Kennedy High School and The NET 2 Charter High School have no publicly available data on state rankings, test scores, graduation rates, or chronic absenteeism, making it impossible to assess their performance. Overall, the zip code illustrates extreme educational inequality, where a school like Benjamin Franklin excels while others like McDonogh 35 face an attendance crisis, highlighting that school culture and leadership—not just neighborhood demographics—drive outcomes. Parents should prioritize visiting schools and requesting detailed data, especially for those with missing information.
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