Enrollment
398
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Columbia, LA
Caldwell Parish High School
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell Parish High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 220036000281
👥 S:T ratio 53
📚 AP courses 10
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 20
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Caldwell Parish High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Louisiana schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 54.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Caldwell Parish High School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Caldwell Parish High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Columbia, LA.
School address
District: Caldwell Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220036000281 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.9%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caldwell Parish High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Caldwell Parish High School
Caldwell Parish High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Columbia, Louisiana, enrolling 398 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.7:1, Caldwell Parish High School is leaner than roughly 88% of Louisiana schools and 30% under the state's 16.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 54.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 398 students, its enrollment sits close to the Louisiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 324 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #102.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and African American (14%) (diversity index 37/100).
No Advanced Placement courses are reported for this campus in the federal data.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 398 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 23.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Caldwell Parish also operates Caldwell Parish Junior High School (294 students) and Union Central Elementary School (215 students) alongside Caldwell Parish High School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Caldwell Parish High School compares
Caldwell Parish High School on the metrics families compare, against Louisiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.7:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.9% | ▼ 12% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 398 | top 56% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
398
Bigger than 47% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 12% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
8.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$17,040
per pupil, district-wide
- above Louisiana avg of $16,376
Close to the U.S. public-school average per-pupil spend.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 398 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
44
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 77.9%
African American 13.8%
Two or More 4.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 77.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 37.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 37.1, Caldwell Parish High School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
AP program Not offered
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell Parish, which includes Caldwell Parish High School.
$17,040
Per student
+4%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+3%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.0%
State 48.1%
Federal 23.9%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Caldwell Parish High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell Parish Junior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Union Central Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grayson Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Caldwell Parish High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 294
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 215
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 212
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 191
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar high schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Louisiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~398 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Caldwell Parish High School's federal record.
- Compare Caldwell Parish High School against another school. Compare schools
- Caldwell Parish's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Caldwell Parish High School
How many students attend Caldwell Parish High School?
Caldwell Parish High School has 398 students enrolled. It is a high school in Columbia, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Parish High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Parish High School is 11.7:1, which is 30% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Caldwell Parish High School?
54.9% of students at Caldwell Parish High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Caldwell Parish High School?
The largest demographic group at Caldwell Parish High School is White at 77.9% of enrollment, in Columbia, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell Parish High School?
Caldwell Parish High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Caldwell Parish High School rank among public schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Caldwell Parish High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Columbia, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Columbia on the city page.
Is Caldwell Parish High School a good school?
Caldwell Parish High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Louisiana schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Caldwell Parish?
Besides Caldwell Parish High School, Caldwell Parish also operates Caldwell Parish Junior High School (294 students), Union Central Elementary School (215 students), and Grayson Elementary School (212 students). See the Caldwell Parish district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.