Summary:
The 70458 zip code in Slidell, Louisiana, is home to 11 schools serving elementary through high school grades, all part of the highly-rated St. Tammany Parish school district, which ranks in the 84th percentile statewide.
Performance varies widely across the area. Whispering Forest Elementary School stands out as the top performer, ranking in the 90th percentile with exceptional test scores (84% proficient in ELA and 75% in Math). Bonne Ecole Elementary School is another strong elementary option, excelling in math and boasting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at 19.9%. For middle school, Clearwood Junior High School leads the pack with strong scores across all subjects and a similarly low absenteeism rate. At the high school level, Slidell High School significantly outperforms Salmen High School in every academic metric, including nearly doubling Salmen's Geometry proficiency (56% vs. 29%).
A major takeaway is that chronic absenteeism is a systemic challenge, with 8 of 11 schools exceeding the district average of 21.2%. The three schools with the lowest absenteeism—Bonne Ecole, Clearwood, and Whispering Forest—are also the highest-performing, suggesting a strong link between attendance and achievement. While socioeconomic factors vary, with free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 52% to 79%, schools like Whispering Forest demonstrate that high performance is achievable regardless of poverty levels. An interesting anomaly is St. Tammany Junior High School, which has the lowest overall math proficiency but reports a 99% proficiency rate in Algebra I, likely due to a small group of advanced students taking the exam. Across all middle schools, math proficiency declines as students progress from 6th to 8th grade, indicating a need for targeted support in middle school mathematics.
Thank you for your feedback!