Enrollment
165
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Monroe, LA
Southside Alternative High School
Federal NCES profile for Southside Alternative High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 72/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220004701781
👥 S:T ratio 61
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 67
📋 Attendance 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside Alternative High School earns 72/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Louisiana schools.
- #1 of 21
- schools in Monroe · Resource Index
- 72
- Resource Index · Higher
- 9.7:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 80.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside Alternative High School has class sizes smaller than 95% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Alternative High School ranks #1 of 21 schools in Monroe, LA.
School address
District: Office of Juvenile Justice · Louisiana
NCES ID 220004701781 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.7:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
80.6%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside Alternative High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southside Alternative High School
Southside Alternative High School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Monroe, Louisiana, enrolling 165 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 9.7:1, Southside Alternative High School is leaner than roughly 95% of Louisiana schools and 42% under the state's 16.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 80.6% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 92% of Louisiana schools, with 165 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 99% of the 1,330 Louisiana schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 103 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Louisiana schools statewide, it ranks #6, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (82% of enrollment) (diversity index 32/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 165 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.6% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Among Monroe's public schools, it stands alongside Ouachita Parish High School (1,112 students): Southside Alternative High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.7:1 vs 17.7:1).
Office of Juvenile Justice also operates Central Southwest Alternative High School (56 students) and Riverside Alternative High School (27 students) alongside Southside Alternative 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 Southside Alternative High School compares
Southside Alternative 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 | 9.7:1 | ▼ 42% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 80.6% | ▲ 29% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 165 | top 92% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
165
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
80.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 5% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
3.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 165 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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 81.8%
White 10.9%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Two or More 3.0%
Largest group: African American at 81.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 31.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 31.6, Southside Alternative High School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
How Southside Alternative High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Southwest Alternative High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Riverside Alternative High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Central Southwest Alternative- St. Martinville | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southside Alternative High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 56
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
- Enrollment
- 27
- Students per teacher
- 3.9:1
- Resource Index
- 75/100
- Enrollment
- 16
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
- Resource Index
- 68/100
Similar other schools in Monroe
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Ouachita Parish High School
Standard public school
1,112 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Lexington Elementary School
Standard public school
547 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Lakeshore School
Standard public school
532 students 17.7:1 students per teacher
Jack Hayes Elementary School
Standard public school
501 students 17.9:1 students per teacher
J.S. Clark Magnet Elementary School
Standard public school
458 students 13.9:1 students per teacher
Cypress Point Elementary School
Standard public school
431 students 14.9:1 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 (~165 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside Alternative High School's federal record.
- Compare Southside Alternative High School against another school. Compare schools
- Office of Juvenile Justice'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 Southside Alternative High School
How many students attend Southside Alternative High School?
Southside Alternative High School has 165 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Monroe, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside Alternative High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside Alternative High School is 9.7:1, which is 42% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 38% 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 Southside Alternative High School?
80.6% of students at Southside Alternative High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside Alternative High School?
The largest demographic group at Southside Alternative High School is African American at 81.8% of enrollment, in Monroe, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside Alternative High School?
Southside Alternative High School has a Resource Investment Index of 72/100 (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 Southside Alternative High School rank among schools in Monroe?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Alternative High School ranks #1 of 21 schools in Monroe, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Monroe on the city page.
Is Southside Alternative High School a good school?
Southside Alternative High School earns 72/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% 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 Office of Juvenile Justice?
Besides Southside Alternative High School, Office of Juvenile Justice also operates Central Southwest Alternative High School (56 students), Riverside Alternative High School (27 students), and Central Southwest Alternative- St. Martinville (16 students). See the Office of Juvenile Justice 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.