Summary:
The nine schools in zip code 70805 of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, serve a community facing significant socioeconomic challenges, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of approximately 85%, and include five elementary schools, three high schools, and one alternative school, but no standalone middle schools.
The standout school in this area is Central High School, which operates under the higher-performing Central Community School District and boasts a 93.8% graduation rate, a 0.6% dropout rate, and a 3 or 4-star rating, starkly contrasting with the rest of the zip code. In comparison, Istrouma High School presents a paradox: it has the lowest state ranking (3rd percentile) and an 81.9% chronic absenteeism rate, yet its "All Grades" test scores for younger students are surprisingly high at 61% in Math and 87% in ELA, while its high school End-of-Course exams are critically low. The alternative schools, EBR Readiness Superintendent Academy and Arlington Preparatory Academy, have very low student-teacher ratios of 4.1:1, but their graduation rates are 13.5% and 66.7%, respectively, well below the state average.
Chronic absenteeism is the most pervasive issue, with an average rate of 47.2% across seven schools—more than double the state average—with Prescott K-8 Academy at 60.0% and Istrouma at 81.9%. Six of the nine schools have free/reduced lunch rates above 90%, led by Dalton Elementary School A Redesign School at 97.35%, though Dalton lacks ranking, test scores, and absenteeism data. Inspire Charter Academy reports an implausible student-teacher ratio of 121.4:1, likely a data error, while Claiborne Elementary School and Winbourne Elementary School show typical elementary metrics within the East Baton Rouge Parish district, which ranks in the bottom third of Louisiana districts.
Thank you for your feedback!