Natchitoches Magnet School, Natchitoches LA

Original Research by School Decision on Natchitoches Magnet School

Natchitoches Magnet School has closed. The school served a broad grade span—the data lists it as serving middle through middle grades, though state test results appear for a wider range, covering students from third through eighth grade in the 2022-23 school year, the last year for which academic data is available. Because the school is no longer operating, the question for a parent or resident is not about enrolling a child there now, but about understanding what the school was and, by extension, what kind of academic environment existed in Natchitoches for students in those grade levels while it was open.

The test results from that final year show a school with definite strengths. In English language arts, proficiency rates were strong across the board. Eighth graders hit a notably high rate of proficiency, and sixth and seventh graders also posted very strong numbers. Third and fourth graders showed solid rates as well. In math, the pattern was mixed. Third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders all showed proficiency rates that were well above what is typical, with third graders at a particularly high level. Seventh graders, however, dipped substantially, with fewer than half of students scoring at the proficient level. That drop is a significant gap, and a parent reviewing the historical record might want to understand what the school’s approach to middle-school math looked like.

Science results varied. Fourth graders performed at a solid level, while third graders were at the halfway mark. Fifth and eighth graders were below that, and seventh graders were a bit higher. Social studies was uneven: fourth and eighth graders performed well, but third graders were below half and fifth and sixth graders were also on the lower side.

Enrollment and demographic data, including free-and-reduced-price lunch counts and racial and ethnic breakdowns, are not available in the records. That information would have given a fuller picture of the student body and economic context. The school was part of Natchitoches Parish public schools, which is the district serving the city and surrounding parish.

Natchitoches itself is a city with a distinctive character. It is the oldest permanent settlement in the Louisiana Purchase area. Its historic French colonial downtown along Cane River Lake, with brick streets and restored buildings, draws more than a million visitors annually. The city is also home to Northwestern State University, which gives it a college-town dimension. Major employers include the university, a regional medical center, tourism and hospitality, and forestry and lumber shipping through the Port of Natchitoches. The city has drawn recognition for revitalizing its historic district and has seen the number of bed-and-breakfast inns grow to among the highest in the state. Housing values in the area, based on a weighted index, are below the state benchmark and well below the national benchmark, which may matter to families considering a move to the district.

The school itself was a regular public school that carried the magnet designation, though specific information on its magnet theme or focus is not in the data. Because the school is closed, no current programs, staffing, discipline data, or attendance figures exist in the record. The district brief turned up no widely reported recent changes. For a family looking at the broader Natchitoches Parish school system today, this school’s history offers a snapshot of academic performance in one building, but the current educational landscape would need to be investigated through the district’s active schools.

See more original research from School Decision →

Academic performance

How students perform on state tests, by grade, set against the district.

Math

Grade 393%

School 93% · district not reported

▲ 68 pts above state median

Grade 485%

School 85% · district not reported

▲ 57 pts above state median

Grade 577%

School 77% · district not reported

▲ 58 pts above state median

Grade 671%

School 71% · district not reported

▲ 51 pts above state median

Grade 744%

School 44% · district not reported

▲ 19 pts above state median

English language arts

Grade 380%

School 80% · district not reported

▲ 50 pts above state median

Grade 473%

School 73% · district not reported

▲ 42 pts above state median

Grade 686%

School 86% · district not reported

▲ 60 pts above state median

Grade 779%

School 79% · district not reported

▲ 47 pts above state median

Grade 895%

School 95% · district not reported

▲ 68 pts above state median

Science

Grade 350%

School 50% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median

Grade 475%

School 75% · district not reported

▲ 55 pts above state median

Grade 569%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 45 pts above state median

Grade 763%

School 63% · district not reported

▲ 41 pts above state median

Grade 869%

School 69% · district not reported

▲ 54 pts above state median

Social studies

Grade 348%

School 48% · district not reported

▲ 33 pts above state median

Grade 476%

School 76% · district not reported

▲ 56 pts above state median

Grade 556%

School 56% · district not reported

▲ 33 pts above state median

Grade 654%

School 54% · district not reported

▲ 38 pts above state median

Grade 760%

School 60% · district not reported

▲ 35 pts above state median

Grade 882%

School 82% · district not reported

▲ 67 pts above state median

This schoolNatchitoches Parish, same grade

Graduation rate (ACGR) reflects the federally published Adjusted Cohort Graduation Rate for the most recent year available. We refresh this data annually at the close of each academic year in June. The federal source publishes a banded rate (for example, "90-94%") instead of an exact number for cohorts small enough to risk identifying individual students. The state distribution chart, where shown, plots every school in the state with a published rate or band; schools whose rate is federally suppressed are excluded. Where the federal source publishes a band rather than an exact rate, the school is placed within its band using a stable, ID-derived offset, so its position is consistent across visits.