Enrollment
593
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Vacherie, LA
St. James High School
Federal NCES profile for St. James High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220150001167
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 86
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
St. James High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Louisiana schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Vacherie · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.6:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 56.2%
- free-lunch eligible
St. James High School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, St. James High School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Vacherie, LA.
School address
District: St. James Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220150001167 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-25% 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
What stands out at St. James High School
St. James High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Vacherie, Louisiana, enrolling 593 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 56.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 593 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 409 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #144.
Its student body is led by African American (74%) and White (22%) (diversity index 40/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 593 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 5.6% 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.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 13 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Vacherie's public schools, it stands alongside Vacherie Elementary School (364 students): St. James High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.6:1 vs 12.6:1).
St. James Parish also operates Lutcher High School (908 students) and Paulina Elementary School (657 students) alongside St. James 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 St. James High School compares
St. James 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 25% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 56.2% | ▼ 10% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 593 | top 27% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
593
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 25% below state mean
Top 17% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
5.6%
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 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
- 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 73.9%
White 22.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 73.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 40.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 40.3, St. James High 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 St. James High 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 St. James High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lutcher High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Paulina Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Gramercy Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Vacherie Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Sixth Ward Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to St. James High 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
- 403
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 364
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
Similar other schools in Vacherie
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~593 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on St. James High School's federal record.
- Compare St. James High 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 St. James High School
How many students attend St. James High School?
St. James High School has 593 students enrolled. It is a public 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 12.6:1, which is 25% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 20% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (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 St. James High School rank among public schools in Vacherie?
By Resource Investment Index, St. James High School ranks #3 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 St. James High School a good school?
St. James High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% 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 St. James High School, St. James Parish also operates Lutcher High School (908 students), Paulina Elementary School (657 students), and Gramercy Elementary School (403 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.