Summary:
In zip code 70444, there is a single middle school, Jewel M. Sumner Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Kentwood, Louisiana, as part of the Tangipahoa Parish school district, which is ranked 92nd out of 116 districts in the state.
Jewel M. Sumner Middle School presents a mixed profile for parents to consider. On the positive side, the school is a relative academic strength in mathematics, consistently outperforming its district average. In the 2025-2026 school year, 54% of all students were proficient in math, compared to 49% for the district. The school also boasts a remarkable 0.0% dropout rate, a significant achievement given that nearly 80% of its 306 students come from low-income households. However, a major red flag is the school's very high chronic absenteeism rate of 30.8%, which is nearly 1.4 times the state average of 22.5%. This attendance issue is likely a key factor behind the school's declining state ranking, which has dropped from the 43rd percentile three years ago to the 30th percentile for the 2025-2026 school year.
Another important pattern is the "6th grade bump" and "8th grade slump." Test scores show that 6th graders perform much closer to state averages, while 8th graders fall significantly behind. For example, 6th grade math proficiency is 64% (near the state's 65%), but 8th grade math drops to 44% (10 points below the state's 52%). Similarly, 6th grade English Language Arts proficiency is 65% (9 points below the state), while 8th grade ELA is just 53% (16 points below the state). This suggests students may struggle to keep pace as they progress through middle school. Overall, while the school is a leader in its district for math, its declining trajectory and high absenteeism are critical concerns for families to investigate further.
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