Summary:
Zip code 71129 in Shreveport, Louisiana, is home to two elementary/middle schools serving grades PK through 8: Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle School and Turner Elementary Middle School, both part of the Caddo Parish school district.
These two schools present a stark contrast in academic performance. Walnut Hill is the clear standout, ranking in the top half of Louisiana schools (384th out of 690) with a 2-star rating, while Turner Elementary ranks near the very bottom (659th out of 690) with a 0-star rating. Walnut Hill significantly outperforms Turner in core subjects, with math proficiency at 58% versus 35%, ELA at 68% versus 48%, and social studies at 56% versus 23%. Walnut Hill also boasts a perfect 100% proficiency rate on the Algebra I exam, a course Turner does not appear to offer. Chronic absenteeism is a major challenge at Turner, with a rate of 36.4%—far exceeding both Walnut Hill's 22.3% and the state average of 22.5%. Both schools have a very low dropout rate of 0.5%, well below the district and state averages.
Walnut Hill shows particularly strong results in its upper grades, with 6th-grade ELA proficiency at 78% and 8th-grade social studies at an impressive 80%. While both schools serve a predominantly low-income population, Turner has a higher percentage of students eligible for free/reduced lunch (82.25% versus 67.91% at Walnut Hill). For parents in this area, Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle School is the stronger academic choice, consistently meeting or exceeding district averages, while Turner Elementary Middle School faces significant challenges that families should investigate further.
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