Summary:
Zip code 70816 in Baton Rouge, LA, is home to five schools—four elementary schools and one middle school—serving approximately 2,741 students, with over 67% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high level of economic need across the area.
Parkview Elementary School is the standout performer, consistently earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the top 30% of Louisiana elementary schools. It is the only school in the area to exceed state averages in all core subjects (Math: 70%, ELA: 79%, Social Studies: 67%) and boasts the lowest chronic absenteeism rate at 11.9%, well below the state average of 22.5%. In stark contrast, Southeast Middle School struggles significantly, ranking in the 10th percentile statewide and falling below district averages in all subjects. Its chronic absenteeism rate of 40.8% is nearly double the district average and a critical red flag. The other three elementary schools—Cedarcrest-Southmoor Elementary School, Wedgewood Elementary School, and Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery—cluster in the lower quartile of state rankings (20th-26th percentile), though Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery shows a troubling decline from the 67th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 23rd percentile in 2025-2026.
Despite high poverty rates across all schools, Parkview Elementary proves that economic disadvantage does not preclude high performance, suggesting strong school-level factors like leadership and culture. Meanwhile, Southeast Middle School offers a bright spot in advanced math coursework, with 100% of its Algebra I students proficient, far exceeding district and state averages. However, the data reveals a pronounced "middle school dip," with math proficiency dropping from 70% at Parkview Elementary to just 35% at Southeast Middle School, a gap much larger than the state-level difference. All schools are part of the East Baton Rouge Parish system, except Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery, which belongs to the Discovery Health Sciences Foundation charter district.
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