Enrollment
565
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220028400944 Charter school
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School — New Orleans, LA
Federal NCES profile for Mcdonogh 42 Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 88
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: Mcdonogh 42 Charter School · 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
14.5:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.3%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mcdonogh 42 Charter School 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
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School reports 565 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 29.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 22% 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 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 80.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% above the Louisiana average and 55% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 565 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 4.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mcdonogh 42 Charter School spends $15,515 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.1% from local sources (property taxes), 25.7% from the state, and 40.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 22% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.3% | ▲ 28% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 565 | top 68% | — | — |
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
80.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 22% below state mean
Top 19% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 81% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
4.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$15,515
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 565 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 565 Top 68% in Louisiana — larger than 32% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 29.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 -22% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 80.3% +28% vs state
NCES ID 220028400944
Student demographics
African American 88.0%
Hispanic or Latino 9.6%
Two or More 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 88.0% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 565:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 4.8%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdonogh 42 Charter School, which includes Mcdonogh 42 Charter School.
$15,515
Per student
-13%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.1%
State 25.7%
Federal 40.2%
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 New Orleans
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
The Willow School
Standard public school
2,225 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Morris Jeff Community School
Standard public school
1,442 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
Bricolage Academy
Standard public school
965 students
Kipp Morial
Standard public school
951 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy
Standard public school
945 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Audubon Charter School
Standard public school
937 students 15.7:1 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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School
How many students attend Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School has 565 students enrolled. It is a other school in New Orleans, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is 14.5:1, which is 22% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 9% 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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
80.3% of students at Mcdonogh 42 Charter School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
The largest demographic group at Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is African American at 88.0%. The school serves a diverse student body in New Orleans, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (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.