Summary:
Zip code 71418 in Columbia, Louisiana, is home to two elementary schools within the Caldwell Parish school district: Union Central Elementary School (serving grades 4-5) and Columbia Elementary School (serving grades 2-3). These schools present a stark contrast in performance, with Union Central consistently outperforming its district and neighboring school, while Columbia Elementary has experienced a dramatic decline from a top-tier 5-star rating just a few years ago.
Union Central Elementary School stands out as the higher-performing school in the area, earning a 2-star rating in the 2025-2026 state ranking (40th percentile). It exceeds the district average in all tested subjects, with 62% proficiency in English Language Arts and 60% in Mathematics. In contrast, Columbia Elementary School has fallen to a 1-star rating (19th percentile) in the same period, a sharp drop from its 5-star, 92nd-percentile ranking in 2021-2022. Columbia Elementary now trails Union Central significantly in both Math (45% vs. 60%) and ELA (39% vs. 62%), though it matches Union Central in Social Studies proficiency at 45%.
Both schools serve high-poverty populations, with free/reduced lunch rates of 70.7% at Union Central and 78.53% at Columbia Elementary. Chronic absenteeism is a district-wide concern, with the district rate at 31.0%, though both schools fare better—Union Central at 22.7% and Columbia Elementary at 25.0%. Student-teacher ratios are favorable at both schools (10.7:1 at Union Central, 10.0:1 at Columbia Elementary). The data suggests that academic challenges are concentrated in the lower elementary grades at Columbia Elementary, while Union Central provides a stronger foundation for its upper elementary students. Parents should note that while both schools face socioeconomic challenges, Union Central demonstrates more consistent academic outcomes.
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