Enrollment
852
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Lake Charles, LA
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy
Federal NCES profile for Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220018902349Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 21
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 55
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% of Louisiana schools.
- #21 of 22
- schools in Lake Charles · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.8:1
- large classes for Louisiana
- 27.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy has class sizes larger than 82% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy ranks #21 of 22 schools in Lake Charles, LA.
School address
District: Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy · Louisiana
NCES ID 220018902349 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
43.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.8:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
27.1%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-57% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is a large charter combined-grade school in Lake Charles, Louisiana, enrolling 852 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 19.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 27.1% free-meal eligibility runs 57% below the Louisiana average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Louisiana, bigger than 90% of state schools at 852 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Among 78 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Louisiana schools statewide, it ranks #70, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (69%) and Hispanic or Latino (22%) (diversity index 47/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Lake Charles's public schools, it stands alongside Moss Bluff Elementary School (969 students): Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.8:1 vs 18.3:1).
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is a single-school charter district, so Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy operates independently rather than alongside district-mates.
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 Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy compares
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy on the metrics families compare, against Louisiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.8:1 | ▲ 18% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 27.1% | ▼ 57% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 852 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.8:1
Leaner classes than 17% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
852
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
27.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 57% 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
19.8:1
students per teacher
- 18% above state mean
Top 82% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
18.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$15,015
per pupil, district-wide
- below Louisiana avg of $16,376
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 84 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.9 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 69.0%
Hispanic or Latino 21.7%
White 4.8%
Two or More 3.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Asian 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 69.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.3, Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy, which includes Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy.
$15,015
Per student
-8%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-10%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.0%
State 22.9%
Federal 15.2%
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.
Similar other schools in Lake Charles
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Moss Bluff Elementary School
Standard public school
969 students 18.3:1 students per teacher
Lake Charles Charter Academy
Standard public school
951 students 16.7:1 students per teacher
A. a. Nelson Elementary School
Standard public school
736 students 17.1:1 students per teacher
St. John Elementary School
Standard public school
670 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
Gillis Elementary School
Standard public school
650 students 14.1:1 students per teacher
Prien Lake Elementary School
Standard public school
639 students 15.2:1 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 (~852 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy's federal record.
- Compare Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy'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 Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy
How many students attend Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy?
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy has 852 students enrolled. It is a public school in Lake Charles, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is 19.8:1, which is 18% higher than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 26% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy?
27.1% of students at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy?
The largest demographic group at Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is African American at 69.0% of enrollment, in Lake Charles, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy?
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy rank among schools in Lake Charles?
By Resource Investment Index, Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy ranks #21 of 22 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 schools in Lake Charles on the city page.
Is Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy a good school?
Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 82% 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 Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy?
None; Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is a single-school charter district, and Southwest Louisiana Charter Academy is its only campus.
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.