Enrollment
274
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 220032102494 Charter school
Foundation Preparatory Academy — New Orleans, LA
Federal NCES profile for Foundation Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 63/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 99
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Foundation Preparatory Academy · Louisiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.5%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Foundation Preparatory Academy compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Foundation Preparatory Academy reports 274 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 15.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% below the Louisiana state mean of 18.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% above the Louisiana average and 86% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 274 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 0.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Foundation Preparatory Academy spends $27,553 per pupil district-wide, above the Louisiana average of $17,870 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.6% from local sources (property taxes), 28.3% from the state, and 42.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Foundation Preparatory Academy compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Louisiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.1:1 | ▼ 19% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.5% | ▲ 54% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 274 | top 22% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
96.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% above the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 23% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 77% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
0.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$27,553
per pupil, district-wide
— above Louisiana avg of $17,870
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 274 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 274 Top 22% in Louisiana — larger than 78% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 15.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.5% +54% vs state
NCES ID 220032102494
Student demographics
African American 75.5%
Hispanic or Latino 23.4%
White 0.4%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 75.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 274:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 0.4%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Foundation Preparatory Academy, which includes Foundation Preparatory Academy.
$27,553
Per student
+54%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.6%
State 28.3%
Federal 42.1%
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.
Similar elementary schools in New Orleans
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
International School of Louisiana
Standard public school
1,074 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Arthur Ashe Charter School
Standard public school
778 students 32:1 students per teacher
Lake Forest Elementary Charter School
Standard public school
691 students 13.5:1 students per teacher
Edward Hynes Charter School - Lakeview
Standard public school
690 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Edward Hynes Charter School - Uno
Standard public school
577 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Mildred Osborne Charter School
Standard public school
569 students 20.3:1 students per teacher
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Foundation Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Foundation Preparatory Academy?
Foundation Preparatory Academy has 274 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in New Orleans, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Foundation Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Foundation Preparatory Academy is 15.1:1, which is 19% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Foundation Preparatory Academy?
96.5% of students at Foundation Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Foundation Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Foundation Preparatory Academy is African American at 75.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Orleans, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Foundation Preparatory Academy?
Foundation Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (C+) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.