Enrollment
147
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · St. Joseph, LA
Tensas High School
Federal NCES profile for Tensas High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220171001328
👥 S:T ratio 51
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 71
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Tensas High School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Louisiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Louisiana schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.3:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 82.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 147
- students enrolled
Tensas High School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Tensas Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220171001328 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
12.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.3:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.8%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Tensas High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Tensas High School
Tensas High School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in St. Joseph, Louisiana, enrolling 147 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 12.3:1, Tensas High School is leaner than roughly 85% of Louisiana schools and 27% 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 82.8% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Louisiana schools, with 147 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 81 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #23.
Its student body is predominantly African American (90% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 147 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Tensas Parish spends $24,720 per pupil, 51% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 39.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 51 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 147 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Among St. Joseph's public schools, it stands alongside Tensas Elementary School (154 students): Tensas High School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.3:1 vs 15.4:1).
Its district, Tensas Parish, also runs Tensas Elementary School (154 students).
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 Tensas High School compares
Tensas 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 | 12.3:1 | ▼ 27% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 82.8% | ▲ 32% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 147 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.3:1
Leaner classes than 73% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
147
Bigger than 14% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% 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
12.3:1
students per teacher
- 27% below state mean
Top 15% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
21.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$24,720
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 147 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 44 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 34.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 89.8%
White 8.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Two or More 0.7%
Largest group: African American at 89.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.7, Tensas 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 Tensas Parish, which includes Tensas High School.
$24,720
Per student
+51%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+49%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 37.8%
State 22.8%
Federal 39.4%
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 Tensas High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Tensas Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Tensas High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 154
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
Similar other schools in St. Joseph
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 (~147 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Tensas High School's federal record.
- Compare Tensas High School against another school. Compare schools
- Tensas 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 Tensas High School
How many students attend Tensas High School?
Tensas High School has 147 students enrolled. It is a public school in St. Joseph, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Tensas High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Tensas High School is 12.3:1, which is 27% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 22% 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 Tensas High School?
82.8% of students at Tensas High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Tensas High School?
The largest demographic group at Tensas High School is African American at 89.8% of enrollment, in St. Joseph, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Tensas High School?
Tensas High School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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).
Is Tensas High School a good school?
Tensas High School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Louisiana schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Tensas Parish?
Besides Tensas High School, Tensas Parish also operates Tensas Elementary School (154 students). See the Tensas 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.