Enrollment
294
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Columbia, LA
Caldwell Parish Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Caldwell Parish Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 220036000282
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 35
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Caldwell Parish Junior High School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Louisiana schools.
- #3 of 4
- public schools in Columbia · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.8:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 60.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Caldwell Parish Junior 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 Junior High School ranks #3 of 4 public schools in Columbia, LA.
School address
District: Caldwell Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220036000282 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.8:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
60.8%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Caldwell Parish Junior High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Caldwell Parish Junior High School
Caldwell Parish Junior High School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Columbia, Louisiana, enrolling 294 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.8:1, Caldwell Parish Junior 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 60.8% lands close to the Louisiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 294 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 257 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #123.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (17%) (diversity index 35/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 25.9% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 23.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 94 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 294 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Caldwell Parish also operates Caldwell Parish High School (398 students) and Union Central Elementary School (215 students) alongside Caldwell Parish Junior 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 Junior High School compares
Caldwell Parish Junior 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 | 11.8:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 60.8% | ▼ 3% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 294 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.8:1
Leaner classes than 77% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
294
Bigger than 31% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
60.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
11.8:1
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
25.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
49
in-school suspensions + 45 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 16.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 78.6%
African American 16.7%
Two or More 2.7%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Largest group: White at 78.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 35.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 35.3, Caldwell Parish Junior High School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Caldwell Parish, which includes Caldwell Parish Junior 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 Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Caldwell Parish High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Union Central Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Grayson Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Columbia Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Caldwell Parish Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- 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 middle 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 (~294 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Caldwell Parish Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Caldwell Parish Junior 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 Junior High School
How many students attend Caldwell Parish Junior High School?
Caldwell Parish Junior High School has 294 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Columbia, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Parish Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Caldwell Parish Junior High School is 11.8:1, 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 Junior High School?
60.8% of students at Caldwell Parish Junior 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 Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Caldwell Parish Junior High School is White at 78.6% of enrollment, in Columbia, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Caldwell Parish Junior High School?
Caldwell Parish Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Caldwell Parish Junior High School rank among public schools in Columbia?
By Resource Investment Index, Caldwell Parish Junior High School ranks #3 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 Junior High School a good school?
Caldwell Parish Junior High School earns 53/100 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 Junior High School, Caldwell Parish also operates Caldwell Parish High School (398 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.