Summary:
In zip code 70583, there is one middle school, Scott Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Scott, Louisiana, with an enrollment of 629 students as part of the Lafayette Parish school district.
Scott Middle School presents a mixed picture for parents. On the positive side, the school excels in advanced coursework, with 100% of students proficient in Algebra I, far exceeding district and state averages. It also maintains a very low dropout rate of 1.1%, significantly better than the district (2.9%) and state (3.1%). However, the school faces serious challenges. Its state ranking dropped sharply from the 55th percentile (3 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 34th percentile (2 stars) in 2025-2026. Overall test scores are below district and state averages in English Language Arts (65% vs. 74% district), Mathematics (55% vs. 71% district), and Social Studies (45% vs. 60% district). A particularly concerning trend is the "8th grade math cliff," where math proficiency plummets from 64% in 7th grade to just 35% in 8th grade, well below the state average of 52%.
The most critical issue is chronic absenteeism, which stands at 33.8%—nearly 10 percentage points higher than the district average and 11 points above the state average. This high rate of absenteeism is likely a primary driver of the school's below-average academic performance. The school also serves a population where 63.91% of students are economically disadvantaged, and the student-teacher ratio is 19.2:1. The combination of strong advanced coursework and low dropout rates alongside high absenteeism and declining core scores suggests a school with a high-performing group of students but a larger group that is disengaged, dragging down overall metrics. Addressing chronic absenteeism would be the most impactful step for improvement.
Thank you for your feedback!