Enrollment
289
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220156001685
Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts — Opelousas, LA
Federal NCES profile for Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 60/100.
👥 Class size 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 75
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: St. Landry 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.9%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts 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
Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts reports 289 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 23% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 51.9% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the Louisiana average and 0% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 289 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 10.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. Landry Parish spends $14,633 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.6% from local sources (property taxes), 44.1% from the state, and 27.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 34% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.9% | ▼ 17% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 289 | top 25% | — | — |
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
51.9%
free-lunch eligible
— 17% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
— 34% below state mean
Top 8% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 92% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
10.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$14,633
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 289 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
16
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 289 Top 25% in Louisiana — larger than 75% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 12.3:1 -34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 51.9% -17% vs state
NCES ID 220156001685
Student demographics
African American 54.3%
White 37.4%
Hispanic or Latino 3.1%
Asian 3.1%
Two or More 2.1%
Largest group: African American at 54.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 3
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 289:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 10.0%
In-school suspensions 16
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Landry Parish, which includes Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts.
$14,633
Per student
-18%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.6%
State 44.1%
Federal 27.3%
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
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 20.7:1
- Enrollment
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
Similar other schools in Opelousas
4 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Park Vista Elementary School
Standard public school
533 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Js Clark Leadership Academy
Standard public school
434 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Grolee Elementary School
Standard public school
404 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Northeast Elementary School
Standard public school
232 students 14:1 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 Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts
How many students attend Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts?
Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts has 289 students enrolled. It is a other school in Opelousas, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts?
The student-teacher ratio at Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts is 12.3:1, which is 34% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 23% 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 Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts?
51.9% of students at Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts?
The largest demographic group at Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts is African American at 54.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Opelousas, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts?
Magnet Academy for Cultural Arts has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (C+) based on 4 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.