Enrollment
551
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Laplace, LA
Emily C. Watkins Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Emily C. Watkins Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220153002281
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 62
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Emily C. Watkins Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median.
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.2:1
- students per teacher
- 35.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 551
- students enrolled
Emily C. Watkins Elementary has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. John the Baptist Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220153002281 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.2:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Emily C. Watkins Elementary compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Emily C. Watkins Elementary
Emily C. Watkins Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Laplace, Louisiana, enrolling 551 students.
At 16.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Louisiana median, within a few percentage points of the 16.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 35.2% free-meal eligibility runs 44% below the Louisiana average.
Enrollment of 551 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 167 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #27.
Its student body is led by African American (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 60/100).
15.1% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding St. John the Baptist Parish spends $19,773 per pupil, 21% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
St. John the Baptist Parish also operates East St. John High School (1,293 students) and Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School (754 students) alongside Emily C. Watkins Elementary.
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 Emily C. Watkins Elementary compares
Emily C. Watkins Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Louisiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.2:1 | ▼ 4% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.2% | ▼ 44% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 551 | top 33% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.2:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
551
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
16.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% below state mean
Top 48% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 52% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
15.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$19,773
per pupil, district-wide
- above Louisiana avg of $16,376
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.7 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
African American 56.3%
Hispanic or Latino 24.7%
White 14.3%
Two or More 3.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 56.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 60.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 60.0, Emily C. Watkins Elementary is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. John the Baptist Parish, which includes Emily C. Watkins Elementary.
$19,773
Per student
+21%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.1%
State 23.5%
Federal 14.4%
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 Emily C. Watkins Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East St. John High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Laplace Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| John L. Ory Communications Magnet Elementary | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| East St. John Preparatory Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Emily C. Watkins Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
- Enrollment
- 318
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar other 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 (~551 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Emily C. Watkins Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Emily C. Watkins Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- St. John the Baptist 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 Emily C. Watkins Elementary
How many students attend Emily C. Watkins Elementary?
Emily C. Watkins Elementary has 551 students enrolled. It is a public school in Laplace, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Emily C. Watkins Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Emily C. Watkins Elementary is 16.2:1, which is 4% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 3% higher 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 Emily C. Watkins Elementary?
35.2% of students at Emily C. Watkins Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Emily C. Watkins Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Emily C. Watkins Elementary is African American at 56.3% of enrollment, in Laplace, LA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 60.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Emily C. Watkins Elementary?
Emily C. Watkins Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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).
Is Emily C. Watkins Elementary a good school?
Emily C. Watkins Elementary earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. 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 St. John the Baptist Parish?
Besides Emily C. Watkins Elementary, St. John the Baptist Parish also operates East St. John High School (1,293 students), Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School (754 students), and Laplace Elementary School (710 students). See the St. John the Baptist 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.