Enrollment
355
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220123002028
South Plaquemines High School — Buras, LA
Federal NCES profile for South Plaquemines High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
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: Plaquemines Parish · 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.8:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.7%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Plaquemines High 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
South Plaquemines High School reports 355 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 92.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% above the Louisiana average and 79% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 355 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 45.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Plaquemines Parish spends $19,090 per pupil district-wide, above the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 62.7% from local sources (property taxes), 15.0% from the state, and 22.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F), 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 South Plaquemines High 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 | 15.8:1 | ▼ 15% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.7% | ▲ 48% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 355 | top 36% | — | — |
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
92.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% 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
15.8:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 30% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
45.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,090
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 355 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 51 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 5 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 355 Top 36% in Louisiana — larger than 64% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 15.8:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 92.7% +48% vs state
NCES ID 220123002028
Student demographics
African American 44.8%
White 28.5%
Asian 13.5%
Hispanic or Latino 9.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 3.1%
Two or More 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 44.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 355:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 45.9%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 51
Expulsions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Plaquemines Parish, which includes South Plaquemines High School.
$19,090
Per student
+7%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-2%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 62.7%
State 15.0%
Federal 22.3%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 883
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 656
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 543
- Students per teacher
- 22.3:1
- Enrollment
- 395
- Students per teacher
- 23:1
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
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 South Plaquemines High School
How many students attend South Plaquemines High School?
South Plaquemines High School has 355 students enrolled. It is a other school in Buras, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Plaquemines High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Plaquemines High School is 15.8:1, which is 15% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 1% 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 South Plaquemines High School?
92.7% of students at South Plaquemines High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Plaquemines High School?
The largest demographic group at South Plaquemines High School is African American at 44.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Buras, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Plaquemines High School?
South Plaquemines High School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (F) 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.