Enrollment
565
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · New Orleans, LA
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School
Federal NCES profile for Mcdonogh 42 Charter School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220028400944Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 88
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Louisiana schools.
- #9 of 47
- schools in New Orleans · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.5:1
- large classes for Louisiana
- 80.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School has class sizes larger than 81% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdonogh 42 Charter School ranks #9 of 47 schools in New Orleans, LA.
School address
District: Mcdonogh 42 Charter School · Louisiana
NCES ID 220028400944 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
29.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.5:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
+16% 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
What stands out at Mcdonogh 42 Charter School
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is a high-poverty, mid-sized charter combined-grade school in New Orleans, Louisiana, enrolling 565 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.3% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 565 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 282 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #107.
Its student body is predominantly African American (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 565 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 4.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 40.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among New Orleans's public schools, it stands alongside The Willow School (2,225 students): Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19.5:1 vs 20.6:1).
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is a single-school charter district, so Mcdonogh 42 Charter School 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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School compares
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School on the metrics families compare, against Louisiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.5:1 | ▲ 16% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.3% | ▲ 28% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 565 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.5:1
Leaner classes than 18% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
565
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
19.5:1
students per teacher
- 16% above state mean
Top 81% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
4.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$15,510
per pupil, district-wide
- below Louisiana avg of $16,376
Somewhat 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 21.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.6, Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mcdonogh 42 Charter School, which includes Mcdonogh 42 Charter School.
$15,510
Per student
-5%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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 20.6:1 students per teacher
Morris Jeff Community School
Standard public school
1,442 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
Bricolage Academy
Standard public school
965 students
Kipp Morial
Standard public school
951 students 12.2:1 students per teacher
New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy
Standard public school
945 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Audubon Charter School
Standard public school
937 students 17:1 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 (~565 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mcdonogh 42 Charter School's federal record.
- Compare Mcdonogh 42 Charter School against another school. Compare schools
- Mcdonogh 42 Charter School'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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School
How many students attend Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School has 565 students enrolled. It is a public 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 19.5:1, which is 16% higher than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 24% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, 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 45/100 (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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School rank among schools in New Orleans?
By Resource Investment Index, Mcdonogh 42 Charter School ranks #9 of 47 schools in New Orleans, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in New Orleans on the city page.
Is Mcdonogh 42 Charter School a good school?
Mcdonogh 42 Charter School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Louisiana 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 Mcdonogh 42 Charter School?
None; Mcdonogh 42 Charter School is a single-school charter district, and Mcdonogh 42 Charter School 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.