The top reported proficiency rate is 0% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Southside Alternative High School
Southside Alternative High School serves grades one through twelve in Monroe, Louisiana, and is classified as an alternative school. It is part of the Office of Juvenile Justice district, which immediately signals that this is a specialized setting, not a neighborhood or comprehensive school. For a parent or resident researching this school, understanding its mission is the first step: this is a school for students whose educational pathways have been disrupted, often through involvement with the juvenile justice system.
The school is located on South Grand Street in Monroe. Monroe is the parish seat of Ouachita Parish and the economic hub of northeastern Louisiana, a mid-sized city with a mix of government, healthcare, and retail employment. The city operates the Monroe Transit System, providing bus routes across the area. The population has been in long-term decline, and the housing market reflects that context: home values in the area are well below state and national benchmarks, and prices have recently seen a decrease. Major employers include the Ouachita Parish School Board, Monroe City Schools, healthcare systems, Lumen Technologies, and the University of Louisiana at Monroe.
Enrollment at Southside Alternative is small, concentrated in the upper grades, with the largest numbers in ninth and tenth grades. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. The student body is predominantly Black, with a smaller White population and small shares of Hispanic and multiracial students. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not reported.
On the 2024-25 Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, a small group of students in grades three through eight was tested across math, English language arts, science, and social studies. All students who tested participated, but none scored at the proficient level in any subject. The average scale scores in each subject fell well below the state’s proficiency cut. These results reflect the severe academic challenges that students bring to this alternative setting; they are not comparable to results from a typical comprehensive school. A parent should understand that this school is designed for students who have fallen significantly behind academically, often after gaps in schooling or while involved in the justice system.
When placed relative to districts in Ouachita Parish, Southside’s overall proficiency index sits in the bottom quartile. That comparison, while factually accurate, should be read with the school’s mission in mind: it serves a population that most other schools are not equipped to handle.
The graduation rate was not available. For an alternative school serving students through grade twelve, that gap matters. A parent would want to ask the school directly about its graduation pathways, the programs that lead to a diploma, and the types of postsecondary or vocational supports available.
No information was provided on the school’s programs, course offerings, staffing, discipline, or chronic absenteeism. The Office of Juvenile Justice operates this school, and its structure and resources are likely connected to the broader juvenile justice framework rather than to a typical local school board. A family considering this placement should expect a highly structured environment, strong support from counselors and social workers, and an academic program that is individualized to each student’s situation.
Monroe’s civic infrastructure includes a zoo, museums, a university, and an airport, but none of that defines the day-to-day reality of a student at Southside Alternative. The school exists apart from the regular district system, and families interact with it through specific referral or placement processes, usually not through a standard choice process.
For a resident or parent who is simply learning about schools in the area, Southside Alternative is not a benchmark school for comparing typical academic outcomes. It is a specialized program for students who need a different kind of educational setting. The test scores show how far behind many students are. The missing graduation data is a notable gap. The school’s value to the community is not in its proficiency rates but in its role as a place for students who otherwise might not have a pathway through school at all.
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