The top reported proficiency rate is 27% in English language arts. The lowest is 16% in Social studies.
Original Research by School Decision on North Webster Upper Elementary School
North Webster Upper Elementary School serves third through fifth graders in Cotton Valley, a small rural town in Webster Parish. It is a regular public school and the only upper elementary campus in its part of the parish. The student body is small, spanning just three grade levels, and enrollment readily reflects the diminished population of the surrounding community. The town has seen a sustained decline in residents over many decades, and the school mirrors that context in scale.
In terms of student composition, the school is overwhelmingly white, with about three-quarters of students identifying as such. A notable black population makes up roughly one-sixth of enrollment, and very small shares of students identify as Hispanic or as two or more races. Asian, American Indian, and Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander students were not represented in the latest data. A substantial portion of the student body—about half—qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch, which points to a community with a low median household income and a poverty rate that is high by national standards. Data on students with individualized education plans or English learner status was not reported, so it is unclear what support structures for special populations look like at this school.
State testing results from the most recent year, using Louisiana’s LEAP 2025 assessment, show that proficiency rates across subjects are modest. In English language arts, roughly a quarter of students scored at the proficient or advanced level. In math, about a fifth of students reached that bar. Science and social studies came in at roughly a fifth and a sixth, respectively. These figures suggest that the majority of students are not performing at the state’s target proficiency level meeting a parent may want to learn more directly from the school about how instruction is being tailored and what interventions are in place. Participation in the assessments was complete, so the results represent the full tested population. Because only one year of data is available for this campus, it is not possible to see a trend—there is no prior year to compare against.
The school is part of the Webster Parish school district. A search for recent district-level changes, such as boundary adjustments, leadership shifts, or curriculum overhauls, turned up very little of lasting impact, so it appears the district has been stable in terms of publicly reported developments. The comparison fact-set that would have placed this school relative to other districts in Webster Parish could not be applied because the parish contains only one school district, meaning there is no meaningful local peer group for ranking or comparison.
The town of Cotton Valley itself is small and primarily residential, with limited commercial activity. Its downtown consists of a post office, a municipal building, and a public library. The cost of living is low, but the area has faced long-term population loss and no major new housing developments or growth initiatives were identified. For families, this means the school operates in a context of demographic and economic contraction rather than expansion.
Overall, North Webster Upper Elementary is a small, majority-white school in a low-income rural area, serving grades 3 through 5 with academic proficiency rates that are below typical statewide benchmarks. A parent considering this school should expect a modest academic profile and a community that is economically stressed, and may want to ask about supplemental programs and support for students who are not yet meeting proficiency targets.
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