Summary:
In zip code 70816, there is one middle school, Southeast Middle School, serving grades 6 through 8 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as part of the East Baton Rouge Parish school district.
Southeast Middle School presents a stark contrast in performance. On one hand, it has a standout advanced math program: 100% of students taking Algebra I were proficient in the 2025-2026 school year, far exceeding the district (51%) and state (65%) averages. However, overall academic proficiency in core subjects is low, with only 35% of students proficient in math and 50% in English Language Arts, both well below district and state levels. The school has a high poverty rate, with 75% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, and a critically high chronic absenteeism rate of 40.8%, which is significantly worse than the district (30.5%) and state (22.5%) averages. The school's ranking has been consistently in the bottom 10-11% of Louisiana middle schools for the past three years.
A key takeaway is the school's "tale of two schools" dynamic: it excels with a small group of high-achieving students in advanced math while the majority of students struggle. The high chronic absenteeism rate is a major concern that likely drives the low overall test scores. On a positive note, the school has a low student-teacher ratio of 12.4:1, which could be a valuable resource for providing more individualized attention if leveraged effectively. The school also has a lower dropout rate (1.7%) than the district (4.9%) and state (3.1%).
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