Summary:
This analysis examines ten elementary schools in zip code 71202 (Monroe, LA), serving grades PK-5, where nearly all students come from economically disadvantaged households, with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 95.9%.
The standout school in the area is Swayze Elementary School, part of the higher-performing Ouachita Parish district, which ranks in the 47th percentile statewide and is the only school to achieve a 2-star rating. Its 75% ELA proficiency rate ties the district average and exceeds the state average, while its 5th-grade ELA score of 81% is the highest subject score across all schools. In contrast, Barkdull Faulk Elementary School, despite being in the lower-ranked City of Monroe School District, is a resilient outlier with the highest Math proficiency (58%) among all schools, even though it has the second-highest chronic absenteeism rate (28.1%). This suggests effective math instruction for students who attend regularly. The two Ouachita Parish schools consistently outperform City of Monroe schools, with average ELA proficiency of 59% versus 51%.
Chronic absenteeism is a major challenge, averaging 18% across the area, with Madison James Foster Elementary School having a staggering 37.3% rate, while Carver Elementary School has a remarkably low 7.4%. Social Studies is a universal weakness, with an average proficiency of just 27% compared to the state average of 55%, even at top-performing Swayze (53%). Clara Hall Accelerated School serves only PK-2 and has no test scores, but its 19.2% absenteeism rate is a concern for future readiness. Year-over-year ranking volatility is common, as seen with Thomas Jefferson Elementary dropping from the 24th to 14th percentile, while Swayze jumped from the 16th to 47th percentile, highlighting how small changes can have outsized impacts in high-poverty areas.
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