Summary:
The four public schools in zip code 70346 serve the Donaldsonville community within the highly-ranked Ascension Parish School District, covering grades PK through 12 in a high-poverty area where nearly 91% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Among these schools, Donaldsonville High School stands out for its positive momentum, with a state ranking that has improved from the 23rd to the 35th percentile over three years and a graduation rate of 88.3% that exceeds the state average. Lowery Elementary School leads in academic performance, achieving the highest proficiency rates in the area (50% Math, 58% ELA) and a standout 61% Math score in 5th grade. However, Lowery Middle School reveals a troubling "math cliff," with 8th-grade Math proficiency dropping to 32% from 56% in 6th grade. Donaldsonville Primary School faces the highest chronic absenteeism rate at 26.4%, more than double the district average of 11.6%.
The most critical issue across all schools is chronic absenteeism, which undermines learning despite favorable student-teacher ratios (ranging from 8.8:1 to 11.5:1). Every school significantly underperforms the Ascension Parish district average—for example, the district's overall Math average is 77%, while the highest local score is just 50% at Lowery Elementary. This creates an "island" effect where a high-poverty community struggles within a top-performing district. The data suggests that while Donaldsonville High School effectively supports students to graduation, foundational challenges like absenteeism and middle school math instruction need targeted attention to improve academic outcomes.
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