The top reported proficiency rate is 37% in English language arts. The lowest is 15% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on Cecilia Junior High School
Cecilia Junior High School sits in the small, predominantly residential community of Cecilia, a census-designated place on a bend of Bayou Teche in St. Martin Parish, within the Lafayette metropolitan area. The school serves students in grades six through eight and is one of four public schools zoned to the community, alongside Cecilia Primary, Teche Elementary, and Cecilia High. The school itself is a regular public school, not a charter or magnet, and is part of the St. Martin Parish school system.
The student body of just over six hundred is majority white, with a substantial Black enrollment and smaller shares of Hispanic students and students of two or more races. About two-thirds of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a marker of the community’s economic circumstances. Cecilia is a place with a modest median household income, a notable share of residents living at or below the poverty line, and a housing stock composed largely of single-unit detached homes and mobile homes. Data on students receiving special education services or English learner supports was not available in the source material.
On the 2024-25 Louisiana LEAP 2025 assessments, which measure proficiency at Levels 4 and 5, the school’s results across subjects present a clear picture of challenge. In English language arts, roughly a third of students scored proficient or above. In mathematics, the share was around a fifth. In science, it was roughly a fifth. In social studies, it was about a sixth. These are straightforward numbers that point to substantial room for growth in every tested subject. Because the school is a junior high serving only grades six through eight, a parent will not find a graduation rate here; that metric applies only to high schools. The multi-year trend data in the source material shows only a single year of testing results, so no year-over-year trajectory can be examined. A parent may want to ask the school directly about how proficiency rates have trended in prior years or what academic improvement plans are in place.
By design, there is no comparison set available for Cecilia Junior High School against other schools within St. Martin Parish because the county contains too few districts to form a meaningful cohort. The school stands on its own data, which means a family evaluating it will want to compare its performance against their own expectations and against other middle schools they may be considering outside the parish.
Cecilia itself is a quiet, culturally rooted place. Cajun and Creole French traditions remain a visible part of community life, and the area was formally recognized as the Cecilia et Les Alentours Cultural District. The built environment is low-density, with limited commercial activity: a couple of recording studios, a meat market in a historical dance hall, plate-lunch service at local grocery stores, and a monthly open-air market. Bayou Teche is the defining natural feature, and the Atelier de la Nature Reserve offers art and nature programming with seasonal festivals. Street life is episodic rather than continuous, centered on these monthly and seasonal events. The community’s population has seen some decline in recent decades, and no major new housing developments were identified in searches. The schools appear to sit within the community rather than on isolated campuses, and Saint Joseph Roman Catholic Church serves as a local anchor.
The St. Martin Parish district itself was searched for recent parent-relevant changes, such as boundary adjustments or program launches, but little of lasting impact was found. What is clear is that Cecilia Junior High School operates in a small-town, rural-adjacent setting with a student population that is economically diverse and predominantly from the local community. For a family, the academic picture is one where the school is still working to move a large share of its students to proficiency, particularly in math and science. A parent considering this school should want to understand how the school supports students who are below the proficient bar, what interventions or enrichment are available, and how the school engages families around academic progress. The community context is stable, culturally distinct, and tied to the Bayou Teche region, which will suit families looking for a small-town Louisiana setting with strong local identity.
See more original research from School Decision →