Summary:
The three middle schools in zip code 71203 (Monroe, Louisiana) serve grades 6-8 and are all part of the Ouachita Parish school district, presenting a wide spectrum of academic performance and socioeconomic diversity across a combined enrollment of 1,228 students.
Sterlington Middle School is the standout performer, consistently earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the top 22% of Louisiana middle schools. It dramatically outperforms its local peers, with 83% math proficiency and 81% ELA proficiency—far exceeding both district and state averages. In contrast, Ouachita Junior High School faces the most significant challenges, holding a 1-star rating with the lowest academic scores and highest rates of economic disadvantage and student dropout. East Ouachita Middle School sits in the middle with a 3-star rating, performing near district and state averages, though it struggles with a 27.9% chronic absenteeism rate—the highest in the area.
Key takeaways include a strong correlation between socioeconomic status and performance, as Ouachita Junior High (76.92% free/reduced lunch) has the lowest scores while Sterlington (46.41%) has the highest. However, East Ouachita achieves near-state-average ELA proficiency despite a 70.68% disadvantaged rate, suggesting other factors like school culture matter. Notably, Ouachita Junior High has a unique strength in advanced math, with 92% of Algebra I students proficient in 2024-2025, and it also has the most favorable student-teacher ratio (10.3:1), yet this does not translate to better overall outcomes, highlighting that instructional quality and curriculum are more critical than class size alone.
Thank you for your feedback!