Enrollment
351
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake Charles, LA
Grand Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Grand Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220039002482
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 95
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Grand Lake Elementary earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median.
- #12 of 22
- schools in Lake Charles · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.6:1
- students per teacher
- 39.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Grand Lake Elementary has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Grand Lake Elementary ranks #12 of 22 schools in Lake Charles, LA.
School address
District: Cameron Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220039002482 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.6:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.8%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-36% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Grand Lake Elementary compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Grand Lake Elementary
Grand Lake Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Lake Charles, Louisiana, enrolling 351 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 39.8% free-meal eligibility runs 36% below the Louisiana average.
With 351 students, its enrollment sits close to the Louisiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 156 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #97.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 24/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 351 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance holds up well here: only 2.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Cameron Parish spends $26,574 per pupil, 62% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Among Lake Charles's public schools, it stands alongside Moss Bluff Elementary School (969 students): Grand Lake Elementary is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (14.6:1 vs 18.3:1).
Cameron Parish also operates Grand Lake High School (322 students) and Hackberry High School (218 students) alongside Grand Lake 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 Grand Lake Elementary compares
Grand Lake 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 | 14.6:1 | ▼ 13% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.8% | ▼ 36% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 351 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.6:1
Leaner classes than 51% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
351
Bigger than 40% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 36% 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
14.6:1
students per teacher
- 13% below state mean
Top 32% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
2.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$26,574
per pupil, district-wide
- above Louisiana avg of $16,376
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 351 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.4 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 86.6%
Hispanic or Latino 9.7%
Two or More 2.0%
African American 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 86.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 24.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 24.0, Grand Lake Elementary is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cameron Parish, which includes Grand Lake Elementary.
$26,574
Per student
+62%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+60%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 76.6%
State 12.6%
Federal 10.8%
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 Grand Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Grand Lake High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Hackberry High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| South Cameron High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Johnson Bayou High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Grand Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 322
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 218
- Students per teacher
- 8.4:1
- Resource Index
- 69/100
- Enrollment
- 161
- Students per teacher
- 6.4:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
- Enrollment
- 68
- Students per teacher
- 4.3:1
- Resource Index
- 82/100
Similar other schools in Lake Charles
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Moss Bluff Elementary School
Standard public school
969 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Lake Charles Charter Academy
Standard public school
951 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy
Standard public school
852 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
A. a. Nelson Elementary School
Standard public school
736 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
St. John Elementary School
Standard public school
670 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Gillis Elementary School
Standard public school
650 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
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 (~351 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Grand Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Grand Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Cameron 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 Grand Lake Elementary
How many students attend Grand Lake Elementary?
Grand Lake Elementary has 351 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake Charles, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Grand Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Grand Lake Elementary is 14.6:1, which is 13% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 7% 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 Grand Lake Elementary?
39.8% of students at Grand Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Grand Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Grand Lake Elementary is White at 86.6% of enrollment, in Lake Charles, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Grand Lake Elementary?
Grand Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (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).
How does Grand Lake Elementary rank among schools in Lake Charles?
By Resource Investment Index, Grand Lake Elementary ranks #12 of 22 schools in Lake Charles, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Lake Charles on the city page.
Is Grand Lake Elementary a good school?
Grand Lake Elementary earns 49/100 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 Cameron Parish?
Besides Grand Lake Elementary, Cameron Parish also operates Grand Lake High School (322 students), Hackberry High School (218 students), and South Cameron High School (161 students). See the Cameron 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.