Best High Schools in Zip Code 70601

In zip code 70601 (Lake Charles, Louisiana), there is one high school, Washington/Marion Magnet High School, serving grades 9 through 12 within the Calcasieu Parish school district.

Washington/Marion Magnet High School serves a predominantly low-income student body, with 85.26% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school faces significant challenges, most notably a chronic absenteeism rate of 37.6%—nearly double the district average of 20.9% and well above the state average of 22.5%. This high absenteeism is likely a primary driver of the school's low academic performance, as proficiency rates in core subjects like Biology (29%), English I (30%), and U.S. History (31%) are 20 to 40 percentage points below district averages. The school has earned a 1-star rating for three consecutive years and ranks in the bottom 15% of Louisiana high schools (277th out of 325).

Despite these academic struggles, the school boasts a graduation rate of 88.5%, which is above the state average of 85.0%. This creates a paradox where students are graduating but often not meeting grade-level academic standards. The school also benefits from a favorable student-teacher ratio of 12.5:1, suggesting smaller class sizes that could support more individualized attention. However, this resource has not translated into higher test scores, likely because the challenges of poverty and absenteeism overwhelm the benefits. While there are small signs of improvement in Algebra I (from 42% to 48% proficiency) and Geometry (from 45% to 47%), the overall picture is one of a school where addressing chronic absenteeism is the most critical step toward meaningful academic improvement.