Summary:
Zip code 70763, located in Paulina, Louisiana, is home to a single school, Paulina Elementary School, which serves students from Pre-Kindergarten through 3rd grade with a total enrollment of 657 students.
Paulina Elementary School is part of the St. James Parish school district, which ranks in the 64th percentile statewide and holds a 3-star rating. However, the school itself has seen a decline in its own ranking, dropping from a 3-star rating in 2021-2022 to a 2-star rating in the most recent 2025-2026 school year. A key positive is the school's low chronic absenteeism rate of 13.0%, which is nearly half the state average of 22.5%, indicating strong student engagement. The student-teacher ratio is a favorable 11.2:1, suggesting smaller class sizes. Despite these strengths, academic performance has taken a notable dip. Between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years, Mathematics proficiency dropped from 64% to 59%, and English Language Arts (ELA) proficiency fell from 67% to 61%, placing both subjects below state averages. Social Studies is a particular weakness, with only 46% of students proficient compared to 55% statewide.
The most interesting finding is the disconnect between the school's low absenteeism and its below-average test scores, suggesting the academic challenges are not due to students missing class but may stem from other factors like instructional quality or the high level of economic disadvantage (62.1% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch). Additionally, while the St. James Parish district is a solid 3-star performer, Paulina Elementary is a 2-star school, indicating it is one of the lower-performing schools within its own district. The school's performance is consistent across all grades, with 3rd-grade scores mirroring the overall averages, meaning there is no significant improvement or decline as students progress through the school.
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