Summary:
Zip code 70466, serving the Tickfaw, LA area, is home to a single middle school, Natalbany Middle School, which serves grades 4 through 8 with 347 students and is part of the Tangipahoa Parish school district.
Natalbany Middle School consistently ranks in the bottom 10% of Louisiana middle schools, holding a 9th percentile ranking for three consecutive years. Academic performance is significantly below state averages, with 2025-2026 proficiency rates of 37% in Mathematics (vs. 62% state), 54% in English Language Arts (vs. 70% state), and 32% in Social Studies (vs. 55% state). A major concern is the high chronic absenteeism rate of 28.8%, which is well above the state average of 22.5% and likely a key driver of low test scores. However, the school has a remarkably low dropout rate of 0.6%, far better than the district (4.4%) and state (3.1%) averages, and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 10.5:1. Over 81% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high-poverty population.
A standout positive is the school's 100% proficiency rate on the English I End-of-Course exam, dramatically outperforming the district (53%) and state (66%), though this likely reflects a small, advanced cohort. Grade-level data shows a sharp drop in math proficiency from 4th grade (53%) to 5th grade (29%), suggesting challenges with building foundational skills. Despite low overall scores, the school showed modest year-over-year improvement in math (29% to 37%) and ELA (50% to 54%), offering a potential foundation for future growth if chronic absenteeism is addressed.
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