Summary:
Zip code 71109 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is served by two middle schools, Fair Park Middle School and AmiKiDs Caddo, both part of the Caddo Parish school district, and they face significant academic and attendance challenges.
Between the two, Fair Park Middle School is the higher-performing school, though it still ranks in the bottom 3rd percentile statewide. It consistently outperforms AmiKiDs Caddo in every subject, with overall math proficiency at 24% and ELA at 36%, compared to AmiKiDs Caddo’s 5% and 19%, respectively. A notable bright spot is Fair Park’s 7th-grade ELA proficiency rate of 53%, which actually meets the district average. In contrast, AmiKiDs Caddo is ranked dead last among all Louisiana middle schools and reports critically low proficiency rates, along with a likely erroneous student-teacher ratio of 6000:1 that suggests severe understaffing or data issues.
The most pressing issue for both schools is chronic absenteeism, which is catastrophic. At Fair Park Middle School, 74.5% of students are chronically absent—more than double the district average of 31% and over three times the state average. AmiKiDs Caddo has a rate of 59.2%. This means the majority of students are missing significant school time, which is the primary driver of low academic performance. Interestingly, both schools report dropout rates lower than district and state averages, which may reflect promotion policies or how absenteeism is tracked rather than actual student success. For parents, improving attendance is the single most critical factor for student achievement in this area.
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