SHREVEPORT, La. -- A pilot program aimed at reducing middle school truancy in Caddo Parish cut absenteeism rates at eight schools during the 2025-26 school year, according to Caddo District Attorney James Stewart.
Stewart said his office partnered with Caddo Public Schools Superintendent Keith Burton and Volunteers for Youth Justice to launch the initiative before the start of the school year. The program focused on increasing direct intervention with students at the school level to address rising truancy rates that followed the COVID-19 pandemic.
"In these perilous times, middle school now is the time we have to grab our young people and direct them away from the pitfalls of crime, guns, gangs, vaping marijuana, bullying, cell phone addiction, pornography and even pregnancy," Stewart said.
The eight participating schools all reported lower percentages of truant students compared with the previous school year.
According to figures released by the district attorney's office, Broadmoor Middle School's truancy rate fell from 56% in 2024-25 to 39% in 2025-26. Caddo Middle Career and Technology School dropped from 69% to 33%, while Lanier Middle School declined from 46% to 13%.
Ridgewood Middle School's truancy rate decreased from 53% to 33%, Walnut Hill Elementary/Middle fell from 33% to 11%, and Youree Drive Middle School dropped from 39% to 20%. Turner Elementary/Middle declined from 60% to 30%, and J.S. Clark Leadership Academy fell from 56% to 25%.
Stewart said the effort is part of a broader strategy to intervene with students during the middle school years and help steer them away from crime and other risky behaviors.
He also said the number of juveniles on probation has declined to 406 from previous highs of about 650. Fifty-five juveniles are currently on ankle monitors, according to the district attorney's office.
Stewart said there are currently six juveniles being held in the parish's 24-bed pretrial juvenile detention center, a significant decrease from the population when he took office in 2015.
"The need for a larger juvenile jail is completely unnecessary today, as my Day One focus on truancy and opening The Harbor for juvenile and parental services, and the collaborative efforts of Kelli Todd, school superintendents Lamar Goree and Keith Burton and their employees, our Caddo Parish juvenile judges, parish juvenile services directors Clay Walker and now Andrew Randall and their hard-working probation staffs, have delivered these results," Stewart said. Â
Based on the pilot program's results, Stewart said all K-8 schools in Caddo Parish will participate in the truancy initiative during the 2026-27 school year.
"Kudos to all, and let’s keep the momentum into the next school year," Stewart said.
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