Summary:
The city of Lake Providence, Louisiana is home to three public schools serving students from elementary through high school: Southside Elementary School, General Trass High School, and Griffin Middle School Academy. Unfortunately, these schools are consistently underperforming compared to state averages, with low test scores, poor school rankings, and serving predominantly African American and economically disadvantaged student populations.
None of the three schools in Lake Providence can be considered standouts, as they all have significantly lower proficiency rates in Math and English Language Arts compared to the state averages. For example, the 2023-2024 state-wide proficiency rate in Math was 59%, while the rates for the local schools ranged from just 13% to 40%. The schools also rank in the bottom half of their respective school types in East Carroll Parish, with two of them in the bottom 15% of their categories.
Compounding the academic challenges, the student populations at these schools are overwhelmingly African American, ranging from 97.62% to 99.6%, with minimal racial diversity. Additionally, the schools serve economically disadvantaged communities, with 85.08% to 95.96% of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite the relatively low student-teacher ratios, the schools continue to struggle, suggesting that factors beyond just staffing levels, such as curriculum, teaching quality, and resource allocation, may be contributing to the poor performance.
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