1
Best kept secret at Northwestern Middle School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
841
Middle
DISTRICT 839 · STATE 440
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ZACHARY COMMUNITY SCHOOL DISTRICT·NCES 220003900406
Northwestern Middle School
5200 East Central Avenue, Zachary, LA 70791 · (225) 654-9201 · East Baton Rouge Parish
GRADES 07–08MIDDLE31-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL841 STUDENTS
A
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 89% of Louisiana public middle schools
- ATest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- ABeats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- DThree-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Louisiana public middle schools
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
63 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 13.4:1 · STATE 41.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
60%
508 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 70%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 425 | 51% |
| Grade 8 | 416 | 49% |
Student demographics
53%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 54% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
School pathway
Students here typically continue to
Northwestern Middle School→Zachary High School
Based on grade levels within Zachary Community School District. Attendance zones can vary; confirm enrollment with the district.
Test scores
LEAP 2025 2025-26 . % Mastery+English Language Arts
63.0%
LA avg 41.8% . -5.0pp since 2022
Math
41.0%
LA avg 34.2% . -1.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the LEAP 2025, Louisiana's statewide test, about 63 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 41 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Louisiana schools, those numbers are about 42 and 34. Reading and writing scores are down about 5 points since 2022, while math scores are down about 1 points.
LEAP 2025 results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 63.0% | 41.0% |
| 2024-25 | 66.0% | 42.0% |
| 2023-24 | 69.0% | 42.0% |
| 2022-23 | 68.0% | 42.0% |
% Mastery+, all students and all tested grades.
Source: LEAP 2025. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
50.8%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
40.9%
based on LA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+10.0pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 51% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 41% typical for Louisiana schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Louisiana's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Northwestern Middle School
Northwestern Middle School's state test result (50.8% proficient) is higher than 5 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northwestern Middle School this school | 841 | 60.4% | 50.8% |
| Youree Dr. Middle Advanced Placement Magnet School Shreveport | 992 | 62.1% | 22.7% |
| Copper Mill Elementary/Middle School Zachary | 837 | 65.7% | 48.7% |
| Ruston Junior High School Ruston | 585 | 57.8% | 29.5% |
| Cope Middle School Bossier City | 752 | 58.5% | 33.2% |
| Slidell Junior High School Slidell | 724 | 60.6% | 32.8% |
Matched among Louisiana middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Northwestern Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Louisiana | In East Baton Rouge Parish |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 50.8% | #23 of 213 | #2 of 15 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 41.0% | #58 of 210 ▼ 10 | #4 of 13 no change |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 63.0% | #22 of 213 ▼ 6 | #3 of 15 ▼ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest drop first | -3.0pp | #34 of 197 | #6 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 841 | #9 of 220 | #2 of 17 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 13.4:1 | #97 of 195 | #9 of 13 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 53.3% | #104 of 195 | #6 of 13 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 60.4% | #143 of 214 | #12 of 15 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +5.4% | #19 of 40 | N/A |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
841
-3 (0%) vs 2020
-27% since 2010-11, when it was 1,157
Student : Teacher
13.4:1
was 17.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 841 | 62.5 | 13.4:1 | 60% (508) |
| 2023-24 | 873 | 59.5 | 14.7:1 | 55% (484) |
| 2022-23 | 912 | 48.5 | 18.8:1 | 56% (513) |
| 2020-21 | 844 | 48 | 17.6:1 | 100% (844) |
| 2017-18 | 798 | 47 | 17.0:1 | 50% (397) |
| 2015-16 | 832 | 56 | 14.9:1 | 45% (373) |
| 2010-11 | 1,157 | 76 | 15.2:1 | 39% (457) |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Northwestern Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students up 5% (798 to 841); teachers up 33% (47 to 62.5).
About Northwestern Middle School
Northwestern Middle School is a middle school in Zachary, Louisiana, reachable at (225) 654-9201. Enrollment is 841 students in 2024-25, and the school serves grades 7 through 8. Against the 440-student average for middle schools in Louisiana, enrollment here is 91% higher.
Besides Northwestern Middle School, Zachary Community School District runs 6 other schools. The district enrolls 5,494 students.
Northwestern Middle School is 61% Black by enrollment. Other students are 30% White, 4% Hispanic, and 4% multiracial. By comparison, East Baton Rouge Parish residents are about 44% Black. Pick two students at random and there is a 53% chance they belong to different racial or ethnic groups; that figure is the school's diversity index.
Its teaching staff equals 62.5 full-time positions, a ratio of 13.4:1. On average, middle schools in Louisiana have 41.0:1, compared with 13.4:1 here. Around 60% of the school's students qualify for free or reduced-price meals. The rate at public schools in East Baton Rouge Parish averages 70%, higher than here.
The allk12 Grade for Northwestern Middle School is A. Compared with Louisiana public middle schools, the school scored higher than 89% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
The allk12 BeatsExpectations score for Northwestern Middle School is +10.0 points: 50.8% actual, 40.9% predicted.
Northwestern Middle School is located in East Baton Rouge Parish, where the median household income is $63,071, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 39%, and roughly 14% of residents are in poverty. Besides Northwestern Middle School, East Baton Rouge Parish has 131 other public schools.
Nearby, Zachary High School is about 0.5 miles away. There are at least 8 more public schools inside five miles. Northwestern Middle School ranks 1st of 5 among nearby schools on average proficiency, with 50.8% against a local average of 35.8%.
Northwestern Middle School is coded as Town: Fringe in federal locale data.
Compared with 2020-21, when it had 844 students, enrollment in 2024-25 was about the same at 841. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio fell to 13.4:1, from 17.6:1.
Posts about enrollment questions, class placement, and PTA news are welcome on this page. Reviews and ratings from people who know the school are welcome.
East Baton Rouge Parish at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
452,938
Census ACS
Median income
$63,071
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
39%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
14%
Below federal line
Schools in county
132
66,892 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Zachary Community School District
- Zachary High SchoolHigh · 1,726 students
- Copper Mill Elementary/Middle SchoolMiddle · 837 students
- Zachary Elementary SchoolElementary · 778 students
- Rollins Place ElementaryElementary · 774 students
- Northwestern Elementary SchoolElementary · 337 students
- Zachary Early Learning CenterElementary · 201 students
Other schools in Zachary
- Zachary High SchoolHigh · 1,726 students
- Copper Mill Elementary/Middle SchoolMiddle · 837 students
- Zachary Elementary SchoolElementary · 778 students
- Rollins Place ElementaryElementary · 774 students
- Northwestern Elementary SchoolElementary · 337 students
- Zachary Early Learning CenterElementary · 201 students
Other Northwestern Middle schools
7 other US public schools in 8 states are named Northwestern Middle. Northwestern Middle School is the 2nd largest of the 8.
- Northwestern Middle SchoolAlpharetta, GA · 1,167 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolKokomo, IN · 324 students
- Northwestern MiddlePoplar, WI · 289 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolWest Salem, OH · 284 students
- Northwestern Middle SchoolAlbion, PA · 266 students
Nearby schools
- Zachary High School0.5 mi · 1,726
- Northwestern Elementary School0.5 mi · 337
- Rollins Place Elementary0.6 mi · 774
- Zachary Early Learning Center0.6 mi · 201
- Zachary Elementary School1.2 mi · 778
- Copper Mill Elementary/Middle School2.3 mi · 837
Frequently asked questions
About Northwestern Middle SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at Northwestern Middle School?
Northwestern Middle School enrolls approximately 841 students in grades 07-08.
What age range does Northwestern Middle School serve?
Northwestern Middle School serves students from grade 07 through grade 08.
How many students per teacher at Northwestern Middle School?
Approximately 13.4:1 students per teacher at Northwestern Middle School.
What is the racial breakdown of students at Northwestern Middle School?
At Northwestern Middle School, the student body is approximately 30% White, 4% Hispanic, 61% Black, 2% Asian, 4% Two or more.
Is Northwestern Middle School public or private?
Northwestern Middle School is a public K-12 school, overseen by Zachary Community School District.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.