Summary:
In zip code 70578, there is one middle school, Armstrong Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Rayne, Louisiana, with a total enrollment of 304 students.
Armstrong Middle School is part of the Acadia Parish school district, which is ranked highly at the 75th percentile statewide. However, the school itself faces significant challenges. The most pressing issue is a chronic absenteeism rate of 38.6% for the 2024-2025 school year, far exceeding the district average of 29.8% and the state average of 22.5%. This high absenteeism likely contributes to low academic proficiency, as the school's test scores in math (43%), English language arts (52%), and social studies (38%) all fall well below both district and state averages. Despite these struggles, the school has a remarkably low dropout rate of just 0.4%, which is much better than the district (2.5%) and state (3.1%) averages, suggesting the school is effective at retaining students even if attendance is inconsistent.
The school's state ranking has also declined sharply, dropping from the 27th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 16th percentile in 2025-2026, indicating a relative decline compared to other Louisiana middle schools. With 82.89% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a high-poverty population. Given that Acadia Parish is a strong district overall, Armstrong Middle School stands out as an underperforming school that would benefit from targeted support, particularly in addressing chronic absenteeism to improve academic outcomes.
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