St. James Parish operates 6 public schools serving 3,537 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Louisiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 4 other, 2 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 3,194 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in St. James Parish County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $24,636 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 72.5% local, 15.6% state, and 11.9% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $83,707 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 67/100, ranked #30 of 176 in Louisiana against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
a 429.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 5.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 64.5% African American, 32.0% White, 1.8% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Lutcher High School accounts for 28.4% of all St. James Parish student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means St. James Parish-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. 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.
St. James Parish school enrollment varies 3.4× across entities
St. James Parish school enrollment ranges from 269 students (lowest) to 908 students (highest), a spread of 639 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio — most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
St. James Parish has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.1% 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). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. 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.
St. James Parish student-counselor ratio is 430:1 — 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.
St. James Parish chronic absenteeism rate is 5.2% — 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.
St. James Parish has 6 schools, including 4 other, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 3,537 students.
How much does St. James Parish spend per student?
St. James Parish spends $24,636 per student. The district has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #30 in Louisiana.
What is the average teacher salary in St. James Parish?
The average teacher salary in St. James Parish is $83,707 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near St. James Parish?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in St. James Parish County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of St. James Parish?
St. James Parish students are 64.5% African American, 32.0% White, 1.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.2% Asian, averaged across 6 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for St. James Parish?
St. James Parish has an equity score of 67/100, ranking #30 out of 176 districts in Louisiana. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.