Enrollment
1,141
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Lake Charles, LA
Sam Houston High School
Federal NCES profile for Sam Houston High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 52/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 220033000237
👥 S:T ratio 32
📚 AP courses 80
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 56
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sam Houston High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. It is also one of the largest schools in Louisiana.
- #3 of 5
- high schools in Lake Charles · Resource Index
- 52
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17:1
- students per teacher
- 32.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Sam Houston High School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sam Houston High School ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Lake Charles, LA.
School address
District: Calcasieu Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220033000237 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
67.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.7%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sam Houston High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sam Houston High School
Sam Houston High School is a large high school in Lake Charles, Louisiana, enrolling 1,141 students.
At 17:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Louisiana median, within a few percentage points of the 16.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 32.7% free-meal eligibility runs 48% below the Louisiana average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Louisiana, bigger than 95% of state schools at 1,141 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 80 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #43.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and African American (11%) (diversity index 37/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 16 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 380 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
17.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Calcasieu Parish spends $20,543 per pupil, 25% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 17.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 256 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 1,141 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 14 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Lake Charles's high schools, it stands alongside Alfred M. Barbe High School (1,908 students): Sam Houston High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17:1 vs 21.4:1).
Calcasieu Parish also operates Sulphur High School (1,911 students) and Alfred M. Barbe High School (1,908 students) alongside Sam Houston High 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 Sam Houston High School compares
Sam Houston High 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.7% | ▼ 48% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,141 | top 5% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17:1
Leaner classes than 30% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
1,141
Bigger than 93% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
17:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 58% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$20,543
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 380 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
139
in-school suspensions + 117 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 14 expulsions.
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 78.5%
African American 10.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.7%
Two or More 2.8%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 78.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.7, Sam Houston High School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
AP courses offered 16
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Calcasieu Parish, which includes Sam Houston High School.
$20,543
Per student
+25%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+24%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 54.6%
State 27.7%
Federal 17.7%
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 Sam Houston High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sulphur High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Alfred M. Barbe High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| S. J. Welsh Middle School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Iowa High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Moss Bluff Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sam Houston High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,911
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 1,908
- Students per teacher
- 21.4:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,011
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 1,007
- Students per teacher
- 17.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 969
- Students per teacher
- 18.3:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
Similar high schools in Lake Charles
4 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Alfred M. Barbe High School
Standard public school
1,908 students 21.4:1 students per teacher
Lagrange High School
Standard public school
881 students 10.9:1 students per teacher
Lake Charles College Prep
Standard public school
624 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Washington/Marion Magnet High School
Standard public school
597 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Similar high 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 (~1,141 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~17:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sam Houston High School's federal record.
- Compare Sam Houston High School against another school. Compare schools
- Calcasieu 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 Sam Houston High School
How many students attend Sam Houston High School?
Sam Houston High School has 1,141 students enrolled. It is a high school in Lake Charles, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sam Houston High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sam Houston High School is 17:1, which is 1% higher than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Sam Houston High School?
32.7% of students at Sam Houston High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sam Houston High School?
The largest demographic group at Sam Houston High School is White at 78.5% of enrollment, in Lake Charles, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sam Houston High School?
Sam Houston High School has a Resource Investment Index of 52/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Sam Houston High School rank among high schools in Lake Charles?
By Resource Investment Index, Sam Houston High School ranks #3 of 5 high schools in Lake Charles, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Lake Charles on the city page.
Is Sam Houston High School a good school?
Sam Houston High School earns 52/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. It is also one of the largest schools in Louisiana. 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 Calcasieu Parish?
Besides Sam Houston High School, Calcasieu Parish also operates Sulphur High School (1,911 students), Alfred M. Barbe High School (1,908 students), and S. J. Welsh Middle School (1,011 students). See the Calcasieu 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.