St. Bernard Parish

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, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Chalmette, Louisiana - 12 schools

An equity score of 48/100 ranks St. Bernard Parish #97 of 175 districts in Louisiana (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $13,983 per pupil, St. Bernard Parish ranks #126 of 188 Louisiana districts by per-pupil spending (Louisiana districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

8,277
Total Enrollment
12
Schools
$13,983
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

St. Bernard Parish operates 12 public schools serving 8,277 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Louisiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 8 combined, 3 middle, 1 high schools, a compact enough portfolio that families can compare every campus directly 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 St. Bernard Parish.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,983 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 38.9% local, 42.6% state, and 18.5% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 48/100, ranked #97 of 175 in Louisiana against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 12 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 473.5:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 14.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 38.6% White, 34.7% African American, 19.8% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Arabi Elementary School, with a diversity index of 70.9/100.

Its largest campus is Chalmette High School, enrolling 2,193 students (29% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is C.F. Rowley Alternative School, at 103 students, a 21x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.

Chalmette High School accounts for 26.5% of all St. Bernard Parish student enrollment

That concentration means St. Bernard Parish-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

St. Bernard Parish school enrollment varies 21× across entities

St. Bernard Parish school enrollment ranges from 103 students (lowest) to 2,193 students (highest), a spread of 2,090 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 NCES Common Core of Data

St. Bernard Parish has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 65.9% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch

free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Eligibility here is approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

St. Bernard Parish student-counselor ratio is 474:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)

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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

St. Bernard Parish chronic absenteeism rate is 14.9% — low (typically associated with lower-than-average attendance disruption; districts in this range often have attendance interventions, robust transportation, or smaller catchments that reduce barriers)

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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

18.5%
Federal
42.6%
State
38.9%
Local

Funding Equity

48
Equity Score
97 / 175
State Rank
50
State Average

This district has moderate funding equity. There may be room to improve funding diversity or resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 12 schools in St. Bernard Parish.

White 38.6%
Hispanic or Latino 19.8%
African American 34.7%
Asian 1.7%
Multiracial 4.9%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 63.4/100

Average Simpson diversity index across St. Bernard Parish's schools, above the Louisiana average of 43.9.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Arabi Elementary School 70.9
  2. 2 Chalmette Elementary School 70.7
  3. 3 Andrew Jackson Middle School 70.0
  4. 4 Arlene Meraux Elementary School 69.4
  5. 5 Chalmette High School 68.1

Programs & Resources

1 / 12
Schools with AP
6 AP courses total
473.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
14.9%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in St. Bernard Parish

School Enrollment
Chalmette High School
2,193
N.P. Trist Middle School
767
Lacoste Elementary School
621
Joseph J. Davies Elementary School
593
Arlene Meraux Elementary School
583
Arabi Elementary School
567
Andrew Jackson Middle School
546
J.F. Gauthier School
500
Chalmette Elementary School
467
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School
333
St. Bernard Middle School
319
C.F. Rowley Alternative School
103

How St. Bernard Parish Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Louisiana districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
St. Mary Parish Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
City of Monroe School District Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
St. Martin Parish Similar size Similar spending Similar funding mix
Vernon Parish Similar size Similar spending Less locally funded
St. Charles Parish Similar size Higher spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to St. Bernard Parish's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Louisiana

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Jefferson Parish
50,628 students · 82 schools · $16,675/pupil
Compare vs St. Bernard Parish →
East Baton Rouge Parish
43,253 students · 83 schools · $15,604/pupil
Compare vs St. Bernard Parish →
St. Tammany Parish
39,559 students · 55 schools · $14,024/pupil
Compare vs St. Bernard Parish →
Caddo Parish
36,147 students · 59 schools · $14,387/pupil
Compare vs St. Bernard Parish →
Lafayette Parish
32,377 students · 45 schools · $11,837/pupil
Compare vs St. Bernard Parish →

Compare St. Bernard Parish

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Jefferson Parish →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in St. Bernard Parish?

St. Bernard Parish has 12 schools, including 1 high, 3 middle, 8 combined. Total enrollment is 8,277 students.

How much does St. Bernard Parish spend per student?

St. Bernard Parish spends $13,983 per student. The district has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #97 in Louisiana.

What is the demographic composition of St. Bernard Parish?

St. Bernard Parish students are 38.6% White, 34.7% African American, 19.8% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% Asian, averaged across 12 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for St. Bernard Parish?

St. Bernard Parish has an equity score of 48/100, ranking #97 out of 175 districts in Louisiana.