Summary:
Zip code 71018, serving the Cotton Valley area, is home to a single elementary school, North Webster Upper Elementary School, which serves grades 3 through 5 with a total enrollment of 140 students.
North Webster Upper Elementary School is a small school with a favorable 13:1 student-teacher ratio, which can allow for more personalized attention. The school's strongest subject is English Language Arts, where 64% of students are proficient, outperforming the Webster Parish district average of 58%. However, the school faces a significant challenge in Social Studies, with only 32% of students proficient—a 23-percentage-point gap below the state average of 55%. Math proficiency stands at 55%, also below the state average of 62%. While the school performs better than its district in key areas, its overall state ranking has declined sharply, dropping from the 64th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 22nd percentile (1 star) in 2025-2026. This suggests that while the school has maintained some performance levels, other schools across Louisiana have improved at a faster pace.
A notable positive is the school's chronic absenteeism rate of 22.4%, which is significantly better than the district's 30.6% rate and nearly matches the state average. This indicates effective attendance strategies in place. With 72.86% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a high-poverty population. The primary takeaway for parents is that North Webster Upper Elementary School offers a small, manageable learning environment with relative strength in English, but it is struggling with declining state rankings and a critical weakness in Social Studies that requires focused improvement.
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