Jewel M. Sumner Middle School

Jewel M. Sumner Middle School is a modestly sized junior high in Kentwood, Louisiana, overseen by Tangipahoa Parish. The school enrolls 306 students in grades 6 through 8. By comparison, Louisiana's public schools average about 440 students each, so Jewel M. Sumner Middle School sits 30% leaner than that benchmark.

Tangipahoa Parish comprises 32 schools with combined enrollment of 19,077 students; Jewel M. Sumner Middle School is among them.

In terms of who attends, Jewel M. Sumner Middle School reports that the most-represented group is White (45%), with the rest of the student body spread across multiple groups; the rest is composed of 42% Black, 9% multiracial, 3% Hispanic. The wider county runs roughly 61% White, putting the school's mix considerably less White than the area baseline.

In terms of school funding signals, On paper, Jewel M. Sumner Middle School has 24 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 12.9:1. The state averages around 41.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 79% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Jewel M. Sumner Middle School tracks the demographic baseline. The model predicts 27.3% given the school's FRL share; actual proficiency is 24.7%.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Tangipahoa Parish shows median household earnings sit near $56,760, 21% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and roughly 14% of residents live below the federal poverty line. In all, Tangipahoa Parish runs 33 public schools (combined enrollment of about 19,077 students), of which Jewel M. Sumner Middle School is one.

Nearest neighbor: Jewel M. Sumner High School, around 0.2 miles off. 3 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Jewel M. Sumner Middle School comes 3rd of 7 in the immediate cluster, above the nearby-schools average of 21.1%.

The campus sits in a rural setting.

Five-year trend. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Jewel M. Sumner Middle School has fell 4%, going from 318 students in 2018 to 306 in 2025. Over the same period, the White share declined from 50% to 45%. Class-load math has tightened: from 15.5:1 in 2018 to 12.9:1 in 2025.

Inside the community feed, the page collects discussion, questions, and updates around school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.