Best Public Schools in Zip Code 70647

Zip code 70647 in Iowa, Louisiana, is home to two public schools within the highly-rated Calcasieu Parish school district: Iowa High School (serving grades 6-12) and J. I. Watson Elementary School (serving grades PK-5).

Iowa High School is the standout school in the area, consistently outperforming state averages in core subjects like Math (70% proficiency) and ELA (80% proficiency). It also boasts a strong 89.3% graduation rate and excels in End-of-Course exams, particularly in U.S. History and Biology. In contrast, J. I. Watson Elementary School performs closer to state averages, with a notable weakness in Social Studies where only 53% of students are proficient. A key finding is the performance gap between the two schools: despite Watson having a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students, Iowa High School students perform significantly better relative to the state, suggesting the high school is particularly effective at accelerating learning.

A major concern across both schools is chronic absenteeism, with Iowa High School at 28.8% and J. I. Watson Elementary at 24.4%, both exceeding district and state averages. This is paradoxical given Iowa High's strong test scores and graduation rate. Additionally, Social Studies is a consistent weakness for both schools, pointing to a systemic area for curriculum improvement. Both schools have maintained a steady 3-star rating over the past three years, with Iowa High ranking in the 66th percentile and Watson in the 55th-57th percentile among Louisiana schools of their type.