Enrollment
303
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Luling, LA
R.K. Smith Middle School
Federal NCES profile for R.K. Smith Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 220144001142
👥 S:T ratio 53
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
R.K. Smith Middle School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% of Louisiana schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Luling · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.7:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 62.9%
- free-lunch eligible
R.K. Smith Middle School has class sizes smaller than 88% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, R.K. Smith Middle School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Luling, LA.
School address
District: St. Charles Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220144001142 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.9%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+1% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How R.K. Smith Middle School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at R.K. Smith Middle School
R.K. Smith Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Luling, Louisiana, enrolling 303 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.7:1, R.K. Smith Middle School is leaner than roughly 88% of Louisiana schools and 30% under the state's 16.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 62.9% lands close to the Louisiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 303 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 288 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #179.
Its student body is led by African American (63%) and White (21%) (diversity index 54/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 303 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding St. Charles Parish spends $23,457 per pupil, 43% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
St. Charles Parish also operates Destrehan High School (1,435 students) and Hahnville High School (1,416 students) alongside R.K. Smith Middle School.
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 R.K. Smith Middle School compares
R.K. Smith Middle 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 | 11.7:1 | ▼ 30% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.9% | ▲ 1% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 303 | top 73% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
303
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 1% 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
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 30% below state mean
Top 12% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 88% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
26.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$23,457
per pupil, district-wide
- above Louisiana avg of $16,376
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 303 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 16 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 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 63.0%
White 20.8%
Hispanic or Latino 13.5%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 63.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 54.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 54.1, R.K. Smith Middle School is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Charles Parish, which includes R.K. Smith Middle School.
$23,457
Per student
+43%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.2%
State 13.5%
Federal 7.4%
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.
How R.K. Smith Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destrehan High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hahnville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.B. Martin Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harry M. Hurst Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Luling Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to R.K. Smith Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,435
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,416
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 653
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar middle 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 (~303 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on R.K. Smith Middle School's federal record.
- Compare R.K. Smith Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Charles Parish'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 R.K. Smith Middle School
How many students attend R.K. Smith Middle School?
R.K. Smith Middle School has 303 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Luling, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at R.K. Smith Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at R.K. Smith Middle School is 11.7:1, which is 30% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at R.K. Smith Middle School?
62.9% of students at R.K. Smith Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of R.K. Smith Middle School?
The largest demographic group at R.K. Smith Middle School is African American at 63.0% of enrollment, in Luling, LA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 54.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for R.K. Smith Middle School?
R.K. Smith Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 R.K. Smith Middle School rank among public schools in Luling?
By Resource Investment Index, R.K. Smith Middle School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Luling, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Luling on the city page.
Is R.K. Smith Middle School a good school?
R.K. Smith Middle School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 88% 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 St. Charles Parish?
Besides R.K. Smith Middle School, St. Charles Parish also operates Destrehan High School (1,435 students), Hahnville High School (1,416 students), and J.B. Martin Middle School (733 students). See the St. Charles Parish district page for the complete list.
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.