Summary:
Zip code 71108 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is home to two elementary schools serving grades PK-5, Caddo Heights Math/Science Elementary School and Westwood Elementary School, both part of the Caddo Parish school district, which ranks in the 26th percentile statewide. These schools serve a combined 1,023 students, with over 88% qualifying for free or reduced lunch, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage.
Westwood Elementary stands out for its notable academic improvement, jumping from the 1st to the 9th percentile in state ranking over the past year. It outperforms Caddo Heights in English Language Arts (ELA), with 36% of all students proficient compared to Caddo Heights' 34%, and its 4th-grade cohort is particularly strong, achieving 56% proficiency in ELA and 49% in math. However, Caddo Heights has a lower chronic absenteeism rate (21.3%) than Westwood (27.0%), and its rate is actually better than the state average of 22.5%. Despite its "Math/Science" name, Caddo Heights' math proficiency (35%) is only slightly higher than Westwood's (29%), and both schools lag far behind the district (51%) and state (62%) averages. Social Studies is a universal weakness, with Caddo Heights at 29% and Westwood at 20% proficiency, well below the district (43%) and state (55%) levels.
Key takeaways for parents include that Westwood shows a promising upward trend and has a standout 4th-grade class, but it struggles more with chronic absenteeism. Caddo Heights offers more consistent, though low, performance and better attendance. Smaller class sizes at Westwood (12.0 student-teacher ratio) do not translate to higher scores in math or social studies compared to Caddo Heights (13.8 ratio), suggesting that factors like attendance and instructional quality are more critical. Both schools face significant challenges in closing the achievement gap with district and state averages, particularly in math and social studies.
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