The top reported proficiency rate is 19% in English language arts. The lowest is 7% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Ridgewood Middle School
Ridgewood Middle School is a regular public school in Shreveport, Louisiana, serving grades six through eight within the Caddo Parish school system. It is one of the middle-level options in a district that covers a large, urbanized parish and a city that has seen steady population loss over recent decades. The school itself draws from the Ridgewood Drive neighborhood, a residential area on the south side of Shreveport, and its student body reflects the socioeconomic realities of the surrounding community.
State testing on the LEAP 2025 assessment, administered in the 2024-25 school year, shows low proficiency rates across all four tested subjects at Ridgewood Middle. In English language arts, fewer than one in five students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In mathematics, the share was even lower, and in science and social studies the rates were also very low. These results cover a single year of data, with no prior year available for comparison, so no trend direction can be established. The school had full participation in the assessments, meaning all enrolled students took the tests. A parent looking at these numbers would find them concerning and may want to ask the school directly about its academic intervention programs, curriculum alignment, and any strategies being used to raise achievement.
The school enrolls a student body of moderate size for a middle school. The composition is predominantly Black, making up the large majority of students, with smaller shares of Hispanic, white, and multiracial students. A very substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, indicating that the school serves a community with high economic need. Data on students with disabilities and English learners were not reported, so a parent seeking information on special education or language support services would need to contact the school directly.
Shreveport, the city where Ridgewood Middle is located, is the third most populous city in Louisiana and the traditional commercial and cultural hub of the Ark-La-Tex tri-state region. It has a history as an oil-industry center, but the loss of oil jobs and the closure of a major General Motors plant contributed to a decades-long population decline. The city continues to work on economic diversification, with growth in healthcare, logistics, and gaming, and it is part of an interstate cyber corridor initiative. Home values and rents in the school’s zip code are below both state and national medians, making the area relatively affordable. The city is largely car-dependent, with a central downtown district and historic neighborhoods, but much of the residential fabric is suburban in character.
No recent district-level changes at Caddo Parish Public Schools were found in publicly available records. A parent considering Ridgewood Middle should also note that because this is a middle school, there is no graduation rate to report, and data on discipline, chronic absenteeism, and staffing were not available. These are common gaps for schools at this level, but the absence of information on school climate and teacher qualifications means a family would need to gather those details through school visits or conversations with the administration.
In sum, Ridgewood Middle School serves a high-poverty, predominantly Black student population in a mid-sized southern city facing economic headwinds. Its state test results are low across all subjects, a pattern that warrants close inquiry. The school operates as a standard public middle school with no charter or magnet designation, and its setting is a sprawling, car-oriented part of Shreveport where housing remains relatively affordable. A family choosing this school would want to understand what academic supports and enrichment opportunities are actually available inside the building, since the testing data alone points to significant challenges.
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