Enrollment
440
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bush, LA
Fifth Ward Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Fifth Ward Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 55/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220165001277
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 12
📋 Attendance 89
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fifth Ward Junior High School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Louisiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Louisiana schools.
- 55
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 50.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 440
- students enrolled
Fifth Ward Junior High School has class sizes smaller than 79% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Tammany Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220165001277 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fifth Ward Junior High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fifth Ward Junior High School
Fifth Ward Junior High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bush, Louisiana, enrolling 440 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 50.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 440 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 337 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #100.
Its student body is predominantly White (92% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 15/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 440 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.3% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
St. Tammany Parish also operates Mandeville High School (2,006 students) and Slidell High School (1,654 students) alongside Fifth Ward 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 Fifth Ward Junior High School compares
Fifth Ward 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.2% | ▼ 20% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 440 | top 48% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
440
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 20% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 21% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
4.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$14,024
per pupil, district-wide
- below Louisiana avg of $16,376
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 440 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 92.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
African American 1.8%
Two or More 1.8%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.1, Fifth Ward 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 St. Tammany Parish, which includes Fifth Ward Junior High School.
$14,024
Per student
-14%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.9%
State 38.3%
Federal 9.8%
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 Fifth Ward Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mandeville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Slidell High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Covington High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northshore High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Joseph B. Lancaster Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fifth Ward Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,006
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 1,654
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 1,600
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 1,518
- Students per teacher
- 18.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 1,480
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
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 (~440 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fifth Ward Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Fifth Ward Junior High School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Tammany 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 Fifth Ward Junior High School
How many students attend Fifth Ward Junior High School?
Fifth Ward Junior High School has 440 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bush, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fifth Ward Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fifth Ward Junior High School is 13.3:1, which is 21% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 15% 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 Fifth Ward Junior High School?
50.2% of students at Fifth Ward Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fifth Ward Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Fifth Ward Junior High School is White at 92.0% of enrollment, in Bush, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fifth Ward Junior High School?
Fifth Ward Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 55/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Fifth Ward Junior High School a good school?
Fifth Ward Junior High School earns 55/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Louisiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 St. Tammany Parish?
Besides Fifth Ward Junior High School, St. Tammany Parish also operates Mandeville High School (2,006 students), Slidell High School (1,654 students), and Covington High School (1,600 students). See the St. Tammany 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.