The top reported proficiency rate is 51% in English language arts. The lowest is 30% in Math.
Original Research by School Decision on Houma Junior High School
Houma Junior High School serves seventh and eighth graders in the city of Houma, the parish seat and commercial hub of Terrebonne Parish. The school enrolls a student body that is roughly half White, with Black students making up more than a quarter of the population, Hispanic students about one in nine, and smaller shares of students who are American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, or of two or more races. A majority of students come from households with income low enough to qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The school is a regular public school within the Terrebonne Parish district, and the district itself has been navigating a projected budget deficit for the coming school year, driven by declining enrollment, inflation, and the expiration of federal COVID-19 relief funds. The School Board has publicly discussed potential school closures, staff reductions, and program cuts to address the shortfall, a context any family living in the parish should be aware of when considering a school's future stability.
On state assessments, Houma Junior High's results present a mixed picture. In English language arts, roughly half of students scored at the proficient level or above on the LEAP 2025 exam, which is the state's measure of meeting grade-level expectations. In social studies, just under half reached that bar. Science proficiency was lower, and math was the weakest area, with roughly three in ten students scoring proficient or above. These results come from a single year of testing data, so there is no multi-year trend to indicate whether performance is improving or declining. The school's participation rate on the exams was extremely high, meaning the results reflect nearly the entire student body. A parent looking at these numbers will see a school where a majority of students are meeting the state bar in reading but where math, science, and to a lesser degree social studies show room for growth. The school serves only two grades, so there is no graduation rate to report here; students move on to one of Terrebonne Parish's high schools after eighth grade.
The broader community context matters for understanding this school. Houma has a strong industrial base tied to oil and gas, shipbuilding, and commercial fishing, and the city's cultural makeup draws from Cajun, Creole, Native American, and Vietnamese influences. Downtown Houma offers a walkable historic core with museums and civic institutions, but the wider city is car-dependent. The area was struck directly by Hurricane Ida as a Category 4 storm in 2021, and recovery and rebuilding are ongoing. Housing values in the area are roughly in line with national benchmarks, and rents have been rising moderately. The parish operates a bus system, and the local airport is a short drive from downtown.
What is not available in this data is important to note. Information on discipline, chronic absenteeism, staffing ratios, and course access was not present. The comparison set against other districts in Terrebonne Parish could not generate scores because there were too few districts for a meaningful comparison. Program offerings, such as whether the school offers advanced coursework or electives beyond the core subjects, were also absent from the data. A parent who wants to understand the full picture of student support, teacher experience, and enrichment options would need to follow up directly with the school or district.
Houma Junior High is a mid-sized junior high in a working city with an industrial economy, serving a diverse student body in a district facing budgetary pressures. Its academic results are strongest in English language arts and weakest in math. For a family, the key questions to explore further would be how the school supports students who are below proficiency in math and science, what programs are available for students who are ready for more challenge, and what the district's financial outlook means for this school's resources and staffing in the years ahead.
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