Enrollment
333
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Violet, LA
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for W. Smith Jr. Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220141001533
👥 S:T ratio 42
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.5:1
- students per teacher
- 89.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 333
- students enrolled
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Bernard Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220141001533 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.5%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How W. Smith Jr. Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at W. Smith Jr. Elementary School
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Violet, Louisiana, enrolling 333 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 89.5% of students qualify for free meals, 43% above the Louisiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 333 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 211 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #63.
Its student body is led by African American (73%) and Hispanic or Latino (13%) (diversity index 44/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 333 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 18.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
St. Bernard Parish also operates Chalmette High School (2,193 students) and N.P. Trist Middle School (767 students) alongside W. Smith Jr. Elementary 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 W. Smith Jr. Elementary School compares
W. Smith Jr. Elementary 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 | 14.5:1 | ▼ 14% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.5% | ▲ 43% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 333 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.5:1
Leaner classes than 52% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
333
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
89.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 43% above the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
14.5:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 31% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 69% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$13,983
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 333 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.4 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 73.3%
Hispanic or Latino 12.6%
White 8.1%
Two or More 5.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 73.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 43.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 43.8, W. Smith Jr. Elementary School is about as mixed as the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Bernard Parish, which includes W. Smith Jr. Elementary School.
$13,983
Per student
-15%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 42.6%
Federal 18.5%
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 W. Smith Jr. Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chalmette High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| N.P. Trist Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lacoste Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Joseph J. Davies Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Arlene Meraux Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to W. Smith Jr. Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,193
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 20.2:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 621
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 593
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 583
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
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 (~333 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on W. Smith Jr. Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare W. Smith Jr. Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Bernard 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 W. Smith Jr. Elementary School
How many students attend W. Smith Jr. Elementary School?
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School has 333 students enrolled. It is a public school in Violet, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at W. Smith Jr. Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at W. Smith Jr. Elementary School is 14.5:1, which is 14% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 8% 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 W. Smith Jr. Elementary School?
89.5% of students at W. Smith Jr. Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of W. Smith Jr. Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at W. Smith Jr. Elementary School is African American at 73.3% of enrollment, in Violet, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for W. Smith Jr. Elementary School?
W. Smith Jr. Elementary 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).
Is W. Smith Jr. Elementary School a good school?
W. Smith Jr. Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. 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. Bernard Parish?
Besides W. Smith Jr. Elementary School, St. Bernard Parish also operates Chalmette High School (2,193 students), N.P. Trist Middle School (767 students), and Lacoste Elementary School (621 students). See the St. Bernard 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.