Public schools in Lake Charles, LA
Lake Charles has 34 public schools with a 2024-25 address in the city: 6 high, 5 middle, 23 elementary, enrolling 18,558 students. They are run by 5 districts and agencies; Calcasieu Parish runs 29 of them.
NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: schools open that year with enrollment · method
The 5 districts and agencies that run Lake Charles's public schools
Each district decides who can enroll where; its page holds its schools, spending and teachers.
| District | Schools in Lake Charles | District students, fall 2022 | Spending per student, FY23 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish | 29 | 29,523 | $17,724 |
| Cameron Parish | 2 | 1,152 | $27,631 |
| Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Inc. | 1 | 989 | $15,223 |
| Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy | 1 | 741 | $14,788 |
| Lake Charles College Prep | 1 | 574 | $13,834 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25: school location city and operating agency; NCES F-33 fiscal year 2022-23: district fall membership and current spending per student. Schools on a city's edge can serve students from outside it.
6 high schools in Lake Charles, 5,473 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alfred M. Barbe High School | 1,908 | 16.9 | 36.2% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Sam Houston High School | 1,141 | 14.8 | 30.0% | Calcasieu Parish |
| LaGrange High School | 881 | 9.4 | 74.3% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Lake Charles College Prep | 624 | 17.0 | 63.5% | Lake Charles College Prep |
| Washington/Marion Magnet High School | 597 | 12.5 | 80.7% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Grand Lake High School | 322 | 11.1 | 32.3% | Cameron Parish |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
5 middle schools in Lake Charles, 3,059 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| S. J. Welsh Middle School | 1,011 | 11.2 | 43.1% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Moss Bluff Middle School | 781 | 12.7 | 34.4% | Calcasieu Parish |
| F. K. White Middle School | 614 | 8.8 | 58.1% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Oak Park Middle School | 388 | 9.1 | 80.2% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Ray D. Molo Middle Magnet School | 265 | 8.9 | 86.8% | Calcasieu Parish |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
23 elementary schools in Lake Charles, 10,026 students
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Moss Bluff Elementary School | 969 | 14.2 | 44.1% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Lake Charles Charter Academy | 951 | 16.3 | 76.7% | Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Inc. |
| Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy | 852 | 15.1 | 78.9% | Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy |
| A. A. Nelson Elementary School | 736 | 15.2 | 51.1% | Calcasieu Parish |
| St. John Elementary School | 670 | 12.9 | 61.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Gillis Elementary School | 650 | 12.1 | 49.2% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Prien Lake Elementary School | 639 | 12.9 | 36.3% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Fairview Elementary School | 518 | 11.2 | 56.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Combre-Fondel Elementary School | 426 | 13.9 | 82.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| LeBleu Settlement Elementary School | 386 | 14.1 | 49.7% | Calcasieu Parish |
The other 13 elementary schools
| School | Students 2024‑25 | Per teacher | Free lunch | District |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dolby Elementary School | 360 | 11.5 | 53.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Grand Lake Elementary | 351 | 10.4 | 38.2% | Cameron Parish |
| Henry Heights Elementary School | 315 | 9.4 | 77.1% | Calcasieu Parish |
| M. J. Kaufman Elementary School | 308 | 10.1 | 78.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| T. S. Cooley Elementary Magnet School | 300 | 18.8 | 14.0% | Calcasieu Parish |
| College Oaks Elementary School | 278 | 10.4 | 78.8% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Brentwood Elementary School | 272 | 10.4 | 91.5% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Oak Park Elementary School | 259 | 10.3 | 81.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Pearl Watson Elementary School | 219 | 11.0 | 90.0% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Barbe Elementary School | 179 | 11.5 | 85.5% | Calcasieu Parish |
| T. H. Watkins Elementary School | 165 | 10.0 | 89.1% | Calcasieu Parish |
| John J. Johnson II Elementary School | 131 | 10.9 | 96.9% | Calcasieu Parish |
| Ralph F. Wilson Elementary School | 92 | 7.4 | 93.5% | Calcasieu Parish |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch); level from the directory. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count.
How Lake Charles's public schools compare with Louisiana's
The median Lake Charles school has 11.3 students per full-time teacher, fewer than the Louisiana median of 13.3. 82% of its schools ran a schoolwide Title I program in 2021-22, against 78% across the state. Its median school enrolls 407 students (state 434).
| Lake Charles | Louisiana | |
|---|---|---|
| Median students per teacher | 11.3 | 13.3 |
| Median school size (students) | 407 | 434 |
| Schools with a schoolwide Title I program (2021-22) | 82% | 78% |
| Schools where every student eats free (CEP) | 15% | 82% |
| Charter schools | 8.8% | 11% |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (membership, staff, lunch program, charter status; the 34 Lake Charles schools and the 1,277 Louisiana schools open that year with students); Title I status CCD 2021-22. Students per teacher counts 2024-25 teachers and ratios from 3 to 99.
What to look at next in Lake Charles
- Calcasieu ParishRuns 29 of Lake Charles's 34 public schools and spent $17,724 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$17,724
- Alfred M. Barbe High School, the largest high school in Lake Charles1,908 students in 2024-25, 16.9 per teacher.1,908
- Compare Calcasieu Parish with Cameron ParishLake Charles's two largest operators side by side: enrollment, spending and schools.
- The largest public schools in LouisianaLouisiana's 50 largest schools open in 2024-25, by enrollment.
- Find the school district for a Lake Charles addressA home's district, not its city, decides which public schools it can enroll in.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools and their operating agencies); NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student).
Choosing among them: how to choose a school district with the federal data, and what a Title I school is.
Other cities in Louisiana
- Baton Rouge90 schools
- New Orleans71 schools
- Shreveport51 schools
- Monroe34 schools
- Lafayette29 schools
- Alexandria22 schools
- Houma21 schools
- Bossier City20 schools
Questions about schools in Lake Charles
How many public schools are in Lake Charles, LA?
34 public schools with an address in Lake Charles were open in 2024-25: 6 high, 5 middle, 23 elementary, enrolling 18,558 students. 3 are charter schools.What is the largest high school in Lake Charles?
Alfred M. Barbe High School, with 1,908 students in 2024-25 (Calcasieu Parish).Which districts run Lake Charles's schools?
Calcasieu Parish (29 schools), Cameron Parish (2 schools), Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Inc. (1 school), Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy (1 school), and 1 more. A school's district, not its city, decides who can enroll.
These figures are for information and are not a substitute for the district's enrollment office, which confirms the school a home is assigned to.
Sources
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25
Source: NCES Common Core of Data Public school search (the official record of each school) · 2024-25