Summary:
The nine schools in zip code 71360 (Pineville, LA) serve students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade within the Rapides Parish school district, a 4-star district ranked 28th in the state, and are characterized by high economic disadvantage with an average free/reduced lunch rate of 75.6%.
Two schools stand out as academic leaders. Ruby-Wise Elementary School is the top performer, earning a 5-star rating and ranking in the top 15% of Louisiana elementary schools with exceptional proficiency rates of 83% in Math and 88% in ELA. Tioga Junior High School is the leading middle school, consistently earning a 4-star rating with 72% Math and 86% ELA proficiency, and a remarkably low dropout rate of 0.7%. Pineville High School serves as the area's strong high school, boasting an 89.4% graduation rate and a state ranking that jumped from 91st to 58th in one year. In contrast, Lessie Moore Elementary School and Pineville Elementary School are the lowest performers, with Math proficiency rates of 43% and 46% respectively, and chronic absenteeism rates at or above the state average of 22.5%.
A key takeaway is that poverty does not predetermine success, as top performers like Tioga Junior High (77.11% free/reduced lunch) and Ruby-Wise Elementary (65.12%) achieve excellent results while serving economically disadvantaged populations. Chronic absenteeism is a major differentiator, with J.I. Barron Senior Elementary School (9.1%) and Ruby-Wise (10.4%) showing strong attendance, while lower-performing schools struggle. The Pinecrest Supports & Services Center is a unique alternative school with a very low chronic absenteeism rate of 3.5% and a favorable student-teacher ratio of 9.2:1, providing a highly supportive environment for its special needs population.
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