The top reported proficiency rate is 59% in English language arts. The lowest is 37% in Science.
Original Research by School Decision on Goodpine Middle School
Goodpine Middle School serves grades three through five in the LaSalle Parish public school system, operating as a regular public school in a rural part of central Louisiana. Its location is near the Trout area, a short distance from the parish seat of Jena. Because it serves only the upper elementary grades, there is no graduation rate to report and no high-school-level program data such as AP or dual credit. The school’s enrollment is modest for its grade band, drawing from a predominantly White student population. A substantial share of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, giving a rough sense of the economic mix families will find. Data on students with disabilities and English learners was not available in the source materials, so a parent may want to ask the school directly about those supports.
On the Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, Goodpine Middle’s students performed unevenly across subjects. In English language arts, a solid majority of students scored at the proficient level or above, a clear strength for the school. Mathematics results were lower, with fewer than four in ten students reaching that bar, and science and social studies fell in a similar range. The pattern suggests a school where reading instruction is a relative bright spot while math and the content-area subjects may be areas where families would want to understand how the school is working to improve outcomes. Only one year of assessment data was available, so no trend line can be drawn. Participation was full, meaning nearly every enrolled student took the tests.
The community context matters for understanding this school. Jena is a small rural town and the parish seat of La Salle Parish. Its historic three-block town center sits along Oak Street and US Highway 84, surrounded by residential areas and light industrial uses. Major employers include a general hospital, an immigration detention facility, a manufacturing plant, and the parish school board itself. The town has a sizable park along Hemps Creek with walking trails, ball fields, a splash pad, and tennis courts, offering recreation options for families. A comprehensive growth plan called Jena’s Vision was adopted after a public process, driven partly by concerns that a planned highway bypass could threaten the town center’s vitality. Home values in the area are moderate relative to state and national benchmarks, and the housing market shows modest year-over-year appreciation. For a family considering a move, the area offers a small-town setting with limited but present civic and commercial anchors.
Goodpine Middle School itself operates under the LaSalle Parish school district, and no recent district-level changes of lasting impact were identified through publicly available reporting. The school’s address is on a highway west of Jena, and its facilities sit in a rural rather than a dense walkable setting. Families looking for a neighborhood school with a clear elementary focus, where reading results are solid and where the student body is relatively homogeneous in racial makeup, may find this a straightforward fit. Those concerned about math and science outcomes will want to inquire about the school’s instructional strategies and any targeted support programs. The absence of special-population data is a gap worth noting, and a parent should confirm that the school can meet any specific learning needs their child brings.
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