Enrollment
414
Missouri · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St. Louis, MO
Lafayette Preparatory Academy
Federal NCES profile for Lafayette Preparatory Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 290060603223Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 25
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 17
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lafayette Preparatory Academy earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri schools.
- #3 of 5
- schools in St. Louis · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.8:1
- large classes for Missouri
- 20.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Lafayette Preparatory Academy has class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. Computed live against every Missouri school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Lafayette Preparatory Academy ranks #3 of 5 schools in St. Louis, MO.
School address
District: Lafayette Preparatory Academy · Missouri
NCES ID 290060603223 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
22.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.8:1
vs 12.8:1 Missouri avg
+47% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
20.8%
vs 46.1% Missouri avg
-55% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lafayette Preparatory Academy compares with Missouri and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lafayette Preparatory Academy
Lafayette Preparatory Academy is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in St. Louis, Missouri, enrolling 414 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.8:1 is larger than about 96% of Missouri schools and 47% above the 12.8:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 20.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 414 puts it in the larger third of Missouri schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 2,313 scored Missouri schools.
Among 421 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Missouri schools statewide, it ranks #400, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and African American (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 414 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
10.6% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 15.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among St. Louis's public schools, it stands alongside Gateway Science Acad/St Louis (377 students): Lafayette Preparatory Academy is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.8:1 vs 13.5:1).
Lafayette Preparatory Academy is a single-school charter district, so Lafayette Preparatory Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Lafayette Preparatory Academy compares
Lafayette Preparatory Academy on the metrics families compare, against Missouri and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Missouri | Missouri avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 18.8:1 | ▲ 47% | 12.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 20.8% | ▼ 55% | 46.1% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 414 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.8:1
Leaner classes than 21% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
414
Bigger than 50% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
20.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 55% below the Missouri average of 46.1%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.8:1
students per teacher
- 47% above state mean
Top 96% in Missouri - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
10.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$11,384
per pupil, district-wide
- below Missouri avg of $12,931
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 414 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 23 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.0 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 52.7%
African American 36.2%
Two or More 6.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
Asian 0.7%
Largest group: White at 52.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.6, Lafayette Preparatory Academy is more mixed than the Missouri school average of 31.0.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lafayette Preparatory Academy, which includes Lafayette Preparatory Academy.
$11,384
Per student
-12%
vs Missouri
Avg $12,931
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 13.5%
State 71.5%
Federal 15.0%
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 other schools in St. Louis
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Missouri, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~414 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lafayette Preparatory Academy's federal record.
- Compare Lafayette Preparatory Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Lafayette Preparatory Academy'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 Lafayette Preparatory Academy
How many students attend Lafayette Preparatory Academy?
Lafayette Preparatory Academy has 414 students enrolled. It is a public school in St. Louis, MO.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lafayette Preparatory Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lafayette Preparatory Academy is 18.8:1, which is 47% higher than the Missouri average of 12.8:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lafayette Preparatory Academy?
20.8% of students at Lafayette Preparatory Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Missouri average of 46.1%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lafayette Preparatory Academy?
The largest demographic group at Lafayette Preparatory Academy is White at 52.7% of enrollment, in St. Louis, MO. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.6/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lafayette Preparatory Academy?
Lafayette Preparatory Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (typical 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 Lafayette Preparatory Academy rank among schools in St. Louis?
By Resource Investment Index, Lafayette Preparatory Academy ranks #3 of 5 schools in St. Louis, MO. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in St. Louis on the city page.
Is Lafayette Preparatory Academy a good school?
Lafayette Preparatory Academy earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Missouri schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Missouri 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 Lafayette Preparatory Academy?
None; Lafayette Preparatory Academy is a single-school charter district, and Lafayette Preparatory Academy is its only campus.
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.