Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.
Lafayette, Louisiana - 44 schools
An equity score of 21/100 ranks Lafayette Parish #163 of 176 districts in Louisiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,386 per pupil, Lafayette Parish ranks #164 of 188 Louisiana districts by per-pupil spending (Louisiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
Lafayette Parish operates 44 public schools serving 32,377 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Louisiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 26 combined, 8 middle, 7 high, 3 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Lafayette Parish.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,386 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 188 Louisiana districts by per-pupil spending. See how Louisiana compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 51.5% local, 32.8% state, and 15.7% federal, a local-revenue-heavy mix that leaves the district more exposed to property-tax swings and local ballot measures than state-funded peers. The district's equity score is 21/100, ranked #163 of 176 in Louisiana against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 8 of 44 schools offering Advanced Placement (54 AP courses district-wide), a 282.3:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 14.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 43.9% African American, 37.8% White, 12.1% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Ridge Elementary School, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
Its largest campus is Southside High School, enrolling 1,833 students (6% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Edward J Sam Accelerated School of Lafayette, at 84 students, a 22x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Lafayette Parish school enrollment ranges from 84 students (lowest) to 1,833 students (highest), a spread of 1,749 students. That spread is wider than typical and predicts noticeable gaps in service quality between the highest and lowest areas. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment, districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Variation between sub-units within Lafayette Parish is typically wider than the Lafayette Parish-aggregate figure suggests.
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason, illness, family obligations, or disengagement Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
This district scores below average on funding equity. High reliance on local revenue or lower spending may contribute.
Average demographic composition across 44 schools in Lafayette Parish.
Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.
Average Simpson diversity index across Lafayette Parish's schools, above the Louisiana average of 43.9.
Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.
The Louisiana districts closest to this one in total enrollment.
| District | Enrollment | Spending | Funding Mix |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcasieu Parish | Similar size | Higher spending | Similar funding mix |
| Caddo Parish | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
| Livingston Parish | Similar size | Similar spending | Less locally funded |
| St. Tammany Parish | Similar size | Higher spending | Similar funding mix |
| Ascension Parish | Similar size | Similar spending | Similar funding mix |
Comparisons are relative to Lafayette Parish's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.
See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.
Compare vs Jefferson Parish →Lafayette Parish has 44 schools, including 7 high, 26 combined, 8 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 32,377 students.
Lafayette Parish spends $12,386 per student. The district has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #163 in Louisiana.
Lafayette Parish students are 43.9% African American, 37.8% White, 12.1% Hispanic or Latino, 2.2% Asian, averaged across 44 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
Lafayette Parish has an equity score of 21/100, ranking #163 out of 176 districts in Louisiana.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.