Summary:
Zip code 70582 in Saint Martinville, Louisiana, is home to two high schools serving grades 6-12: St. Martinville Senior High School and Central Southwest Alternative- St. Martinville, which serve vastly different student populations and educational missions.
St. Martinville Senior High School is the primary traditional high school, enrolling 521 students in grades 9-12 as part of the St. Martin Parish district. It has a reasonable student-teacher ratio of 13.8:1 and a graduation rate of 83.8%, slightly below the state average. However, the school faces significant challenges: a 35.5% chronic absenteeism rate—far exceeding district and state averages—and academic proficiency rates well below state averages in Algebra I (42%), Geometry (38%), English II (47%), and Biology (30%). An interesting bright spot is U.S. History, where the school outperforms the state (61% vs. 55%). The school's state ranking has also declined steadily over three years, dropping from the 41st percentile to the 26th percentile.
In stark contrast, Central Southwest Alternative- St. Martinville serves only 16 students in grades 6-12 and is administered by the Office of Juvenile Justice. This alternative school has a very low student-teacher ratio of 8:1, reflecting the need for intensive support, but its outcomes are extreme: a 28% dropout rate (nearly 10 times the state average) and no reported test scores or graduation rate. Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with 79.85% and 81.25% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, respectively. The data reveals two very different educational environments in the same zip code—one a traditional school struggling with attendance and academic performance, the other a specialized facility for at-risk youth with limited measurable academic outcomes.
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