Summary:
This analysis examines five elementary schools serving grades PK through 5 in the 70808 zip code of Baton Rouge, Louisiana, all part of the East Baton Rouge Parish school district, which is ranked 77th out of 116 districts in the state.
The standout schools in this area are the three magnet schools, which dramatically outperform the two traditional elementary schools. Westdale Heights Academic Magnet School is the top performer, ranking 9th in the state (99th percentile) with an exceptionally low chronic absenteeism rate of 1.5%. B. R. Foreign Language Acad. Immersion Magnet is a close second, ranking 20th in the state and achieving the highest Math (93%) and ELA (99%) proficiency scores in the area, all while maintaining the lowest student-teacher ratio (9.7:1). Baton Rouge Center for Visual and Performing Arts also performs well, ranking 61st in the state with a low chronic absenteeism rate of 3.5%. In contrast, Magnolia Woods Elementary School (429th in state) and Highland Elementary School (470th in state) face significant challenges, with proficiency rates 30-40 percentage points lower in core subjects and chronic absenteeism rates (23.9% and 26.7%, respectively) that exceed the state average of 22.5%.
A key finding is the strong link between attendance and academic success, as the highest-performing schools have the lowest chronic absenteeism. Additionally, a concerning trend appears across multiple schools: a significant drop in Math proficiency from 4th to 5th grade, suggesting a need for additional support during this transition. The data also shows that schools with lower free/reduced lunch rates tend to have higher academic performance, with the magnet schools averaging 43.9% compared to 71.2% for the non-magnet schools.
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