Summary:
Zip code 71107 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is home to two high schools serving grades 9-12: Northwood High School and Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy, both part of the Caddo Parish school district.
Northwood High School is the larger of the two, with 989 students, and offers a stable, mid-range performance with a graduation rate of 86% and a dropout rate of 4%. However, its academic proficiency in core subjects like Algebra I (34%) and English I (52%) remains below state averages, and chronic absenteeism is a significant concern at 40.8%. In contrast, Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy is a smaller school (308 students) that has shown dramatic improvement, jumping from a 0-star to a 2-star state ranking in just two years. Its Algebra I proficiency soared from 20% to 58%, and it boasts the highest U.S. History proficiency (68%) in the area. Green Oaks also has a much lower student-teacher ratio (8.5:1) compared to Northwood (17.5:1), suggesting more personalized attention, despite serving a higher percentage of economically disadvantaged students (85.71% free/reduced lunch).
The most pressing issue for both schools is chronic absenteeism, which is nearly double the state average of 22.5%—at 40.8% for Northwood and 45.7% for Green Oaks. This is a critical factor that likely limits academic achievement across the board. While Green Oaks excels in math and history, it struggles in English II and Biology (both at 43% proficiency), indicating uneven improvement. For parents, Northwood High School offers consistency and a larger community, while Green Oaks Performing Arts Academy provides a specialized arts focus and a rapidly improving academic trajectory, though both schools face significant challenges with student attendance.
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