Summary:
The eight schools in zip code 70363 (Houma, LA) serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade within the Terrebonne Parish school district, a 4-star district ranked in the top 25% of Louisiana, and include four elementary schools, two middle schools, one high school, and one alternative school.
Two elementary schools stand out as exceptional performers despite serving high-poverty populations. Dularge Elementary School is the clear academic powerhouse, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 10% of Louisiana elementary schools, with 90% of students proficient in Math and 89% in English Language Arts. Grand Caillou Elementary School is a consistent high-achiever with a 4-star rating and the highest Math proficiency rate in the zip code at 90%, despite having the highest rate of economic disadvantage (over 90% free/reduced lunch). In contrast, Ellender Memorial High School faces significant challenges as the only high school in the area, earning a 2-star rating with a chronic absenteeism rate of 41.4% (nearly double the state average) and a graduation rate of 75.8%, well below district and state averages. The School for Exceptional Children is a unique alternative school serving only 23 students with a very low student-teacher ratio of 3.8:1, indicating intensive individualized support.
A critical finding is the severe "middle school slump" in academic performance. While three of four elementary schools are high-performing (3 to 5 stars), both middle schools—Oaklawn Middle School and Grand Caillou Middle School—are rated 1 and 2 stars respectively, with Math proficiency dropping from the 80-90% range in top elementary schools to 50-62% in middle schools. Chronic absenteeism is a systemic crisis, averaging 33.6% across all schools, far exceeding the state average of 22.5%, and it escalates from manageable levels in elementary schools to severe rates in middle and high school. This pattern strongly suggests that student disengagement increases with age, and addressing absenteeism is a top priority for the district.
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