Summary:
Zip code 71104 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is home to two schools within the Caddo Parish district, serving grades K-12 and presenting a stark contrast in educational outcomes between a high-performing high school and a struggling elementary school.
The standout school in this area is C.E. Byrd High School, which ranks in the top 25% of Louisiana high schools and significantly outperforms both district and state averages. With a 92.2% graduation rate and a dropout rate of just 1.4%, Byrd High is a district leader, showing strong proficiency in Algebra I (68%) and English II (79%). In contrast, Creswell Elementary School ranks in the bottom 2% of Louisiana elementary schools, with math proficiency at 29% and ELA proficiency at 34%—roughly half the district average. Despite having a lower student-teacher ratio (11.2:1) compared to Byrd High (20:1), Creswell faces severe challenges, including a 38.3% chronic absenteeism rate and 81.54% of students eligible for free/reduced lunch, highlighting how concentrated poverty can overwhelm even smaller class sizes.
Key takeaways for parents include the extreme disparity within this single zip code, where Byrd High offers a high-quality, consistent educational program while Creswell Elementary is in crisis. Chronic absenteeism is a systemic issue across both schools, exceeding the state average of 22.5%, and the data strongly suggests that socioeconomic factors are a primary driver of performance differences. For families considering this area, the choice between these two schools represents a fundamental divide in educational opportunity, with Byrd High providing a clear path to success and Creswell requiring significant additional support to overcome its obstacles.
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