Summary:
Zip code 71068 in Ringgold, Louisiana, is home to two public schools within the Bienville Parish school district: Ringgold Elementary School (serving Pre-K through 5th grade) and Ringgold High School (serving 6th through 12th grade), with a combined enrollment of 414 students.
Ringgold Elementary School stands out as the stronger academic performer in the area. It boasts a favorable student-teacher ratio of 7.8:1 and significantly higher proficiency rates in core subjects, such as 47% in math and 66% in English Language Arts, compared to the high school. The elementary school also has a notably low chronic absenteeism rate of 16.2%, well below the state average. In contrast, Ringgold High School faces serious challenges. Its academic proficiency rates are very low, with only 30% in math and 53% in English Language Arts, and a critical 15% proficiency in Algebra I. The high school also struggles with a chronic absenteeism rate of 32.9%, which is nearly 50% higher than the state average. Both schools serve a high-poverty population, with about 79% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
A key takeaway is the stark performance gap between the two schools. While Ringgold Elementary students perform relatively well, proficiency rates drop dramatically once they reach Ringgold High School, suggesting a systemic issue with academic support in the middle and high school years. Despite its low test scores, the high school paradoxically reports a strong graduation rate of 90.9% and a low dropout rate of 2.2%, indicating students may be progressing to graduation without mastering core material. Overall, the Bienville Parish district ranks in the top half of Louisiana, but the schools in this zip code significantly underperform district averages, making them the weaker links in an otherwise average-performing district.
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