Summary:
Zip code 71234 is home to a single school, Downsville Community Charter School, an alternative school serving grades PK-12 with 470 students in the Union Parish school district.
Downsville Community Charter School stands out as a high-performing institution, consistently outperforming both its district and state averages in core subjects like Mathematics and English Language Arts. For instance, in the 2025-2026 school year, the school's all-grades proficiency in Math (66%) and ELA (72%) exceeded the state averages of 62% and 70%, respectively. The school is particularly strong in high school End-of-Course exams, with proficiency rates in Biology (77%), Algebra I (74%), and English II (72%) all well above state averages. It also reported a 0.0% dropout rate for the 2023-2024 school year, significantly better than the district (1.8%) and state (3.1%) averages. Despite nearly 61% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, the school effectively closes the achievement gap, demonstrating that high-quality education is achievable regardless of socioeconomic background.
A fascinating pattern emerges with 6th-grade students, who achieved the highest proficiency rates in the school for both Math (76%) and English Language Arts (79%) in the 2025-2026 school year, suggesting a particularly strong cohort or highly effective teaching team. However, Social Studies is a consistent area of concern, with proficiency rates below the state average in most tested grades, including a low of 36% in 6th grade. With a student-teacher ratio of 12.5:1 and a graduation rate of 88.2%, Downsville Community Charter School offers a compelling educational option that defies typical expectations for an alternative school.
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