Summary:
Zip code 71071 is served by a single middle school, North Webster Junior High School, which educates 320 students in grades 6 through 8 within the Webster Parish school district. The school stands out for its strong performance in English Language Arts (ELA), where 68% of students are proficient, significantly outpacing the district average of 58% and nearly reaching the state average of 70%. However, this strength is contrasted by notable weaknesses in Social Studies, particularly in 6th grade where only 36% of students are proficient, and in Mathematics, where the school's 50% proficiency rate lags behind the state's 62%.
Key metrics reveal a school facing both challenges and successes. With 77% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school serves a predominantly low-income population. Despite this, it boasts an exceptionally low dropout rate of just 0.4%, far better than the district's 2.9% and the state's 3.1%. However, chronic absenteeism is a concern at 26.6%, which is higher than the state average of 22.5% and likely impacts academic performance. The student-teacher ratio is 14.5 to 1, and the school has consistently ranked in the 35th-38th percentile statewide over the past three years, earning a 2-star rating each year.
An interesting finding is the sharp decline in Social Studies proficiency from 8th grade (56%) to 6th grade (36%), a 20-point gap that is the largest of any subject. This suggests potential issues with the 6th-grade curriculum or that students enter with foundational gaps. While the school's ELA performance is a clear bright spot, its stagnant state ranking and marginal year-over-year improvements in Math and ELA indicate that significant progress is needed to close the gap with higher-performing schools across Louisiana.
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