Enrollment
269
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Vacherie, LA
Sixth Ward Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Sixth Ward Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 65/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 220150001169
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 87
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Sixth Ward Elementary School earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% of Louisiana schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Vacherie · Resource Index
- 65
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 67.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Sixth Ward Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 90% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Sixth Ward Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Vacherie, LA.
School address
District: St. James Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220150001169 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-33% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
67.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Sixth Ward Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Sixth Ward Elementary School
Sixth Ward Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized elementary school in Vacherie, Louisiana, enrolling 269 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 11.2:1, Sixth Ward Elementary School is leaner than roughly 90% of Louisiana schools and 33% under the state's 16.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 67.2% lands close to the Louisiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 269 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 1,330 Louisiana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 243 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Louisiana schools statewide, it ranks #13, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (79%) and White (16%) (diversity index 35/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 269 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding St. James Parish spends $22,445 per pupil, 37% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
St. James Parish also operates Lutcher High School (908 students) and Paulina Elementary School (657 students) alongside Sixth Ward Elementary 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 Sixth Ward Elementary School compares
Sixth Ward Elementary 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 33% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 67.2% | ▲ 8% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 269 | top 79% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
269
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
67.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 33% below state mean
Top 10% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 90% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$22,445
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 269 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
4
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.2 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 79.2%
White 15.6%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
Two or More 2.2%
Largest group: African American at 79.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 34.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 34.7, Sixth Ward Elementary School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. James Parish, which includes Sixth Ward Elementary School.
$22,445
Per student
+37%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 72.5%
State 15.6%
Federal 11.9%
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 Sixth Ward Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lutcher High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Paulina Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| St. James High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gramercy Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vacherie Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Sixth Ward Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
Similar elementary 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 (~269 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Sixth Ward Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Sixth Ward Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. James 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 Sixth Ward Elementary School
How many students attend Sixth Ward Elementary School?
Sixth Ward Elementary School has 269 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Vacherie, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Sixth Ward Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Sixth Ward Elementary School is 11.2:1, which is 33% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 29% 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 Sixth Ward Elementary School?
67.2% of students at Sixth Ward Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Sixth Ward Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Sixth Ward Elementary School is African American at 79.2% of enrollment, in Vacherie, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Sixth Ward Elementary School?
Sixth Ward Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (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 Sixth Ward Elementary School rank among public schools in Vacherie?
By Resource Investment Index, Sixth Ward Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Vacherie, 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 Vacherie on the city page.
Is Sixth Ward Elementary School a good school?
Sixth Ward Elementary School earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 90% 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. James Parish?
Besides Sixth Ward Elementary School, St. James Parish also operates Lutcher High School (908 students), Paulina Elementary School (657 students), and St. James High School (593 students). See the St. James 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.