Best Public Schools in Zip Code 70526

The six public schools in zip code 70526 (Crowley, LA) serve students from Pre-K through 12th grade within the Acadia Parish School District, a 4-star district, and are characterized by high levels of economic disadvantage, with 75% to 93% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch.

North Crowley Elementary School stands out as the top academic performer among the elementary schools, achieving the highest proficiency rates in math (43%) and ELA (61%) and an exceptional 80% proficiency in 4th-grade ELA, which exceeds both district and state averages. In contrast, Crowley High School faces the most significant challenges, with a critically low 68.6% graduation rate, a 6.7% dropout rate, and an alarming 46% chronic absenteeism rate, all far worse than district and state averages. Crowley Middle School also struggles, having the highest chronic absenteeism rate in the zip code at 48.4% and test scores dramatically below district levels, such as only 28% proficiency in Social Studies compared to 53% district-wide. Among the other elementary schools, South Crowley Elementary School and Ross Elementary School show lower academic performance, while Crowley Kindergarten School has no test scores but a high poverty rate of 89.9%.

A key takeaway is that chronic absenteeism is a pervasive issue across all schools, with rates ranging from 32.9% at Ross Elementary to 48.4% at Crowley Middle School, all significantly above the state average of 22.5%. The success of North Crowley Elementary, despite high poverty and absenteeism, suggests that school-level factors like leadership and teaching quality can make a tangible difference. However, the data reveals a "middle school cliff" where academic and behavioral problems intensify, and a systemic crisis at the high school level where student engagement and retention are failing. While the district overall is high-performing, the schools in Crowley appear to be underperforming relative to the rest of the parish, highlighting the impact of concentrated poverty in this area.