Summary:
This analysis examines four public elementary schools in zip code 70785 (Walker, LA), all part of the highly-rated Livingston Parish School District, serving grades PK through 5 with enrollments ranging from 518 to 702 students.
Two schools stand out for different reasons. Levi Milton Elementary School is the consistent high-achiever, leading the group with 81% proficiency in English Language Arts and 63% in Social Studies, and it is the only school to have recently earned a 4-star rating. In contrast, South Walker Elementary School is a volatile performer, boasting the lowest chronic absenteeism rate (7.8%) but also the lowest overall math proficiency (59%) and a dramatic drop in 5th-grade math scores to just 37% proficient. North Corbin Elementary School posts the strongest math proficiency (69%) and low absenteeism (9.5%), while Walker Elementary School has the highest absenteeism (17.3%) but is the only school showing a clear upward trend in state ranking over three years, and it also has the lowest student-teacher ratio (13.2).
All four schools outperform the state average in Math and ELA, despite a uniformly high level of economic need (77% to 81% free/reduced lunch). However, they all fall short of the district average in Math and Social Studies, indicating that while the area is strong, it is not the top-performing part of Livingston Parish. The data reveals a paradox: low absenteeism does not guarantee high academic performance, as seen with South Walker. The most important takeaway for parents is that Levi Milton offers the most consistent, top-tier academics, while Walker Elementary is a school on the rise with smaller class sizes, and South Walker requires a closer look at its 5th-grade performance.
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