Enrollment
504
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 220054002311 Charter school
Helix Mentorship Steam Academy — Baton Rouge, LA
Federal NCES profile for Helix Mentorship Steam Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 35/100.
👥 Class size 44
📚 AP courses 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 11
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: East Baton Rouge Parish · 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)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
76.6%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+23% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Helix Mentorship Steam 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
Helix Mentorship Steam Academy reports 504 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% 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 12% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 76.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 23% above the Louisiana average and 48% above the national baseline. The school offers 8 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 252 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 35.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding East Baton Rouge Parish spends $17,757 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 54.2% from local sources (property taxes), 24.4% from the state, and 21.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Helix Mentorship Steam 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 | 14:1 | ▼ 25% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 76.6% | ▲ 23% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 504 | top 61% | — | — |
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
76.6%
free-lunch eligible
— 23% 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
14:1
students per teacher
— 25% below state mean
Top 16% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
35.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,757
per pupil, district-wide
— below Louisiana avg of $17,870
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 252 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 61 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 504 Top 61% in Louisiana — larger than 39% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 14:1 -25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 76.6% +23% vs state
NCES ID 220054002311
Student demographics
African American 95.6%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
White 1.8%
Two or More 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 95.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 8
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 252:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 35.5%
In-school suspensions 1
Out-of-school suspensions 61
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for East Baton Rouge Parish, which includes Helix Mentorship Steam Academy.
$17,757
Per student
-1%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-9%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 54.2%
State 24.4%
Federal 21.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,593
- Students per teacher
- 19.8:1
- Enrollment
- 1,331
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,218
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,122
- Students per teacher
- 23.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,016
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
Similar high schools in Baton Rouge
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Baton Rouge Magnet High School
Standard public school
1,593 students 19.8:1 students per teacher
Central High School
Standard public school
1,529 students 17.3:1 students per teacher
Woodlawn High School
Standard public school
1,331 students 19.1:1 students per teacher
Liberty High School
Standard public school
1,218 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Tara High School
Standard public school
1,016 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
Scotlandville Magnet High School
Standard public school
837 students 17:1 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 Helix Mentorship Steam Academy
How many students attend Helix Mentorship Steam Academy?
Helix Mentorship Steam Academy has 504 students enrolled. It is a high school in Baton Rouge, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Helix Mentorship Steam Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Helix Mentorship Steam Academy is 14:1, which is 25% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 12% 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 Helix Mentorship Steam Academy?
76.6% of students at Helix Mentorship Steam Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Helix Mentorship Steam Academy?
The largest demographic group at Helix Mentorship Steam Academy is African American at 95.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Baton Rouge, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Helix Mentorship Steam Academy?
Helix Mentorship Steam Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (F) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.