Enrollment
593
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220150001167
St. James High School — Vacherie, LA
Federal NCES profile for St. James High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 51/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
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: St. James 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)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
56.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How St. James 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
St. James High School reports 593 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 47.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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 15% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 56.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the Louisiana average and 8% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 593 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding St. James Parish spends $24,636 per pupil district-wide, above the Louisiana average of $17,870 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 72.5% from local sources (property taxes), 15.6% from the state, and 11.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-), 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 St. James 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 27% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.2% | ▼ 10% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 593 | top 73% | — | — |
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
56.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 13% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
5.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$24,636
per pupil, district-wide
— above Louisiana avg of $17,870
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 593 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 62 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 13 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 593 Top 73% in Louisiana — larger than 27% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 47.0
Students per teacher 13.5:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 56.2% -10% vs state
NCES ID 220150001167
Student demographics
African American 73.9%
White 22.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 73.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 593:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.6%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 62
Expulsions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. James Parish, which includes St. James High School.
$24,636
Per student
+38%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
+26%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 908
- Students per teacher
- 16:1
- Enrollment
- 657
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
Similar other schools in Vacherie
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 St. James High School
How many students attend St. James High School?
St. James High School has 593 students enrolled. It is a other school in Vacherie, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at St. James High School?
The student-teacher ratio at St. James High School is 13.5:1, which is 27% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 15% 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 St. James High School?
56.2% of students at St. James High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of St. James High School?
The largest demographic group at St. James High School is African American at 73.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in Vacherie, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for St. James High School?
St. James High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (C-) 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.