Tensas Parish

St. Joseph, Louisiana — 2 schools

347
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$26,581
Per-Pupil Spending
Other
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Tensas Parish operates 2 public schools serving 347 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Louisiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 other schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 301 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Tensas Parish County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $26,581 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 37.8% local, 22.8% state, and 39.4% 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 $78,795 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 78/100, ranked #12 of 176 in Louisiana against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.

a 150.5:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 18.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 86.4% African American, 8.6% White, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.

Tensas Elementary School accounts for 51.2% of all Tensas Parish student enrollment

That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means Tensas 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.

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

Tensas Parish has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 82.7% 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 — including this one — 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.

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

Tensas Parish student-counselor ratio is 151:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)

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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.

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

Tensas Parish chronic absenteeism rate is 18.7% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism

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 Variation between sub-units within Tensas Parish is typically wider than the Tensas Parish-aggregate figure suggests.

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

Where does the funding come from?

39.4%
Federal
22.8%
State
37.8%
Local

Funding Equity

78
Equity Score
12 / 176
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Local Rent Costs

Fair Market Rents in Tensas Parish county, where this district is located.

$601
Studio/mo
$761
1 BR/mo
$834
2 BR/mo
$1,160
3 BR/mo
$1,249
4 BR/mo

Average Teacher Salary

$78,795
Average annual teacher salary

Source: NCES CCD F-33 (Finance Survey).

Teacher salary data from NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 2 schools in Tensas Parish.

White 8.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.6%
African American 86.4%
Multiracial 2.3%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Programs & Resources

150.5:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
18.7%
Chronically Absent

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

Schools in Tensas Parish

School Enrollment
Tensas Elementary School
154
Tensas High School
147

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 · $17,647/pupil
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East Baton Rouge Parish
43,253 students · 83 schools · $17,757/pupil
Compare vs Tensas Parish →
St. Tammany Parish
39,559 students · 55 schools · $16,036/pupil
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Caddo Parish
36,147 students · 59 schools · $15,823/pupil
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Lafayette Parish
32,377 students · 45 schools · $13,877/pupil
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Compare Tensas 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 Tensas Parish?

Tensas Parish has 2 schools, including 2 other. Total enrollment is 347 students.

How much does Tensas Parish spend per student?

Tensas Parish spends $26,581 per student. The district has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #12 in Louisiana.

What is the average teacher salary in Tensas Parish?

The average teacher salary in Tensas Parish is $78,795 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.

What is the average rent near Tensas Parish?

The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Tensas Parish County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.

What is the demographic composition of Tensas Parish?

Tensas Parish students are 86.4% African American, 8.6% White, 2.6% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Tensas Parish?

Tensas Parish has an equity score of 78/100, ranking #12 out of 176 districts in Louisiana. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.

Federal data Last updated 2026 Free public data

Coverage

50 states + DC

Full national footprint

Update cadence

Quarterly

Refreshed within 30 days of upstream release

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Federal

Authoritative data, no third-party aggregation

Page reliability score 94.0%
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Composite score weighing source authority, update freshness, and methodological transparency. 1.0 = full federal-source coverage with documented methodology and recent update.