State profile · LA

Louisiana Public Schools

Every public school, district, and the headline NCES measures for Louisiana — 194 districts, drawn straight from federal records.

1,330
Schools
674,456
Students
18.6:1
Avg ratio
62.5%
Free lunch

The state in one line

Louisiana runs 1,330 public schools across 194 districts, with a 18.6:1 average classroom and 62.5% of students on subsidized lunch.

1,330
public schools
194
school districts
18.6:1
avg student–teacher
62.5%
free/reduced lunch

What the NCES Data Says About Louisiana Schools

Louisiana operates 1,330 public K-12 schools organised into 194 independent school districts serving 674,456 students, per the National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data 2024-25. The largest district, Jefferson Parish, enrolls 50,628 pupils across 82 schools at $16,675 per student, while smaller rural districts can run fewer than a dozen campuses. This fragmentation — inherited from century-old township governance patterns in many states — is why per-pupil spending, class sizes, and programme availability vary dramatically inside a single state boundary.

Statewide, the average student-teacher ratio is 18.6:1, a useful benchmark for comparing any individual district or school on PlainSchools. Free-lunch eligibility averages 62.5% across Louisiana public schools, a federal indicator of economic need that drives Title I funding allocations. The district table below is sortable by enrollment, school count, and per-pupil expenditure — the three fields that best predict a district's financial and demographic profile. For schools specifically, use the rankings links above to view per-category leaderboards covering spending, class size, best schools by composite quality score, chronic absenteeism, and funding-equity distribution within the state.

Every district figure here pulls from two distinct federal surveys: enrollment and demographic data come from the NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (school membership and directory), while per-pupil spending, teacher salaries, and federal/state/local revenue shares originate in the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey (typically FY 2021-22). Civil-rights indicators — gifted enrollment, AP course counts, counselor staffing, chronic absenteeism, in- and out-of-school suspensions — come from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Cross-referencing these three sources is what lets PlainSchools produce composite scores and equity rankings that single-source tools cannot.

Louisiana's average class size vs. every US state

Average students per teacher, state by state (lower means smaller classes)

19 smaller classes than 8% of 51 US states

11–12: 7 US states (14%). Below this entry. 12–13: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 13–14: 8 US states (16%). Below this entry. 14–15: 10 US states (20%). Below this entry. 15–16: 5 US states (10%). Below this entry. 16–17: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 17–18: 4 US states (8%). Below this entry. 18–19: 5 US states (10%). This entry sits in this band. 20–21: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 21–22: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 22–23: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. 23–24: 1 US states (2%). Above this entry. This state 11 24 every US state, by average class size, bucketed by value

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more US states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count, share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source U.S. Department of Education — NCES Common Core of Data · 2024-25

Or browse all Louisiana schools

Federal data — no proprietary formula. PlainSchools publishes the actual federal survey data — enrollment, staffing, finance, and demographics from NCES — without a composite rating on top. The insights below are computed directly from those datasets; every number traces to a cited source.

Louisiana per-pupil spending varies 7.7× across districts

Per-pupil spending in Louisiana ranges from $6,567 (lowest district) to $50,878 (highest), a spread of $44,311. That spread reflects typical state-level variation between high-property-value suburbs and rural or low-tax-base districts. High-spending districts typically draw on higher property tax bases, a structural feature of state education finance under the federal Title I framework that sets the floor but not the ceiling.

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Local Education Agency Finance Survey (F-33) · FY 2021-22

Louisiana has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.5% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch

Free-lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), which replaced No Child Left Behind in defining how the federal government distributes K-12 supplemental funding. Districts above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. States with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local property tax base, which can either offset spending gaps or reinforce them depending on state allocation policy.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system Free and Reduced-Price Lunch Eligibility · 2024-25

Average Louisiana student-teacher ratio is 18.6:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban systems or staffing constraints)

Student-teacher ratio is the simplest staffing metric reported on NCES Common Core of Data, but it does not capture push-in specialists, intervention staff, English Language Learner aides, special education co-teachers, or counseling and support staff. Higher ratios in this state may reflect urban district scale where one school enrolls thousands of students, or recent staffing shortages that have widened the headcount gap. Class-load comparisons are most meaningful at the district or school level, not the state aggregate.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data — Public School Universe School-level enrollment and staffing · 2024-25

School Spending

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Schools ranked by per-pupil expenditure

District Spending

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Districts ranked by per-pupil expenditure

Largest Schools

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Schools ranked by student enrollment

Funding Equity

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Districts ranked by funding equity score

Best Student-Teacher Ratios

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Schools with the smallest class sizes

Best Schools

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Top-rated schools by quality score

Best Districts

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Top-ranked districts by quality score

Chronic Absenteeism

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Schools ranked by absenteeism rates

Affordable Districts

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Quality schools in affordable areas

Largest districts in Louisiana

By total K-12 enrollment — NCES Common Core 2024-25

Top district = 8% of enrollment
Jefferson Parish50,628East Baton Rouge Parish43,253St. Tammany Parish39,559Caddo Parish36,147Lafayette Parish32,377Calcasieu Parish29,523Livingston Parish27,731Ascension Parish24,769Bossier Parish23,918Rapides Parish22,991
# District Enrollment
1 Jefferson Parish Harvey 50,628
2 East Baton Rouge Parish Baton Rouge 43,253
3 St. Tammany Parish Covington 39,559
4 Caddo Parish Shreveport 36,147
5 Lafayette Parish Lafayette 32,377
6 Calcasieu Parish Lake Charles 29,523
7 Livingston Parish Livingston 27,731
8 Ascension Parish Sorrento 24,769
9 Bossier Parish Benton 23,918
10 Rapides Parish Alexandria 22,991
11 Tangipahoa Parish Amite 20,700
12 Ouachita Parish Monroe 19,136
13 Terrebonne Parish Houma 15,772
14 Lafourche Parish Thibodaux 14,208
15 St. Landry Parish Opelousas 12,554
16 Iberia Parish New Iberia 11,768
17 Vermilion Parish Abbeville 9,708
18 Acadia Parish Crowley 9,601
19 St. Charles Parish Luling 9,496
20 Vernon Parish Leesville 9,037
21 City of Monroe School District Monroe 8,646
22 St. Bernard Parish Chalmette 8,277
23 St. Mary Parish Centerville 8,054
24 St. Martin Parish Breaux Bridge 7,537
25 Beauregard Parish Deridder 6,020
26 Zachary Community School District Zachary 5,853
27 Lincoln Parish Ruston 5,839
28 Evangeline Parish Ville Platte 5,705
29 Jefferson Davis Parish Jennings 5,595
30 Webster Parish Minden 5,549
31 Natchitoches Parish Natchitoches 5,527
32 St. John the Baptist Parish Reserve 5,382
33 Desoto Parish Mansfield 5,126
34 Avoyelles Parish Marksville 5,080
35 Washington Parish Franklinton 5,019
36 Central Community School District Central 4,967
37 Iberville Parish Plaquemine 4,498
38 West Baton Rouge Parish Port Allen 4,332
39 Sabine Parish Many 4,141
40 Allen Parish Oberlin 4,136
41 University View Academy Inc. (Frm La Connections) Baton Rouge 3,928
42 Plaquemines Parish Belle Chasse 3,858
43 St. James Parish Lutcher 3,537
44 Morehouse Parish Bastrop 3,381
45 Concordia Parish Vidalia 3,192
46 Assumption Parish Napoleonville 3,031
47 Grant Parish Colfax 2,971
48 Richland Parish Rayville 2,885
49 Franklin Parish Winnsboro 2,850
50 Pointe Coupee Parish New Roads 2,710
51 Lasalle Parish Jena 2,637
52 West Feliciana Parish St. Francisville 2,245
53 Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy Baton Rouge 2,235
54 Jackson Parish Jonesboro 2,161
55 Orleans Parish New Orleans 2,040
56 Winn Parish Winnfield 2,012
57 Bienville Parish Arcadia 1,971
58 The Willow School New Orleans 1,954
59 Union Parish Farmerville 1,911
60 Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy Youngsville 1,878
61 West Carroll Parish Oak Grove 1,863
62 City of Bogalusa School District Bogalusa 1,786
63 East Feliciana Parish Clinton 1,766
64 Claiborne Parish Homer 1,731
65 Morris Jeff Community School New Orleans 1,575
66 Caldwell Parish Columbia 1,502
67 Lsu Laboratory School Baton Rouge 1,497
68 Red River Parish Coushatta 1,412
69 Madison Parish Tallulah 1,379
70 Lafayette Charter Foundation Lafayette 1,350
71 Athlos Academy of Jefferson Parish Terrytown 1,194
72 International School of Louisiana New Orleans 1,190
73 Cameron Parish Cameron 1,152
74 Edna Karr High School New Orleans 1,134
75 St. Helena Parish Greensburg 1,119
76 Warren Easton Charter Foundation Inc. New Orleans 1,112
77 City of Baker School District Baker 1,109
78 Kipp Ernest N. Dutch Morial New Orleans 1,068
79 Kipp East Community Primary New Orleans 1,064
80 Catahoula Parish Harrisonburg 1,050
81 Lycee Francais De La Nouvelle-Orleans New Orleans 1,038
82 Benjamin Franklin High School New Orleans 1,034
83 Recovery School District-Lde Baton Rouge 1,007
84 D'arbonne Woods Charter School Farmerville 1,003
85 Lake Charles Charter Academy Foundation Inc. Lake Charles 989
86 Harriet Tubman Charter School New Orleans 932
87 Martin Behrman Elementary School New Orleans 918
88 New Orleans Military & Maritime Academy New Orleans 907
89 Kipp Leadership New Orleans 894
90 Belle Chasse Academy Belle Chasse 893
91 Paul Habans Charter School New Orleans 877
92 Kipp Central City New Orleans 869
93 Eleanor Mcmain Secondary School New Orleans 864
94 Audubon Charter School New Orleans 862
95 Mcdonogh 35 Senior High School New Orleans 859
96 Dr Martin Luther King Charter School for Sci Tech New Orleans 853
97 Bricolage Academy New Orleans 848
98 Southern University Lab School Baton Rouge 836
99 Arthur Ashe Charter School New Orleans 831
100 Phillis Wheatley Community School New Orleans 812

Showing top 100 of 194 districts by enrollment.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 Local Education Agency Universe Federal universe survey of all U.S. school districts

Largest Schools in Louisiana

University View Academy Inc. (Frm La Connections)
Baton Rouge — other
3,725
students
Acadiana Renaissance Charter Academy
Youngsville — other
3,669
students
Denham Springs High School
Denham Springs — high
2,385
students
Bonnabel Magnet Academy High School
Kenner — high
2,376
students
Kenner Discovery Health Sciences Academy
Kenner — other
2,263
students
Louisiana Virtual Charter Academy
Baton Rouge — other
2,239
students
The Willow School
New Orleans — other
2,225
students
Chalmette High School
Chalmette — high
2,193
students
Lafayette Renaissance Charter Academy
Lafayette — other
2,177
students
Ponchatoula High School
Ponchatoula — high
2,067
students

Other States

Iowa
IA public schools
Kansas
KS public schools
Kentucky
KY public schools
Maine
ME public schools
Maryland
MD public schools
Massachusetts
MA public schools

Side-by-side: Compare Jefferson Parish vs East Baton Rouge Parish → · Compare any two districts

Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25, NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many public schools are in Louisiana?

Louisiana has 1,330 public schools across 194 school districts, serving 674,456 students.

What is the average student-teacher ratio in Louisiana?

The average student-teacher ratio in Louisiana public schools is 18.6:1. This varies by district — use the district table below to compare.

What percentage of Louisiana students qualify for free lunch?

62.5% of students in Louisiana qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, an indicator of economic need used for Title I funding.

What is the largest school district in Louisiana?

The largest school district in Louisiana is Jefferson Parish with 50,628 students across 82 schools.

Why does per-pupil spending vary so much across Louisiana districts?

Louisiana districts spend between $6,567 and $50,878 per pupil — a 7.7× range. Most U.S. states fund schools through a mix of state aid (typically 40-60%), local property tax (30-50%), and federal Title I (5-15%). Districts in higher property-value areas raise more per pupil from local taxes, while state aid is intended to partially equalise but rarely closes the full gap. The federal F-33 finance survey reports actual current expenditures including instructional and support services.

Read our methodology — how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Top schools in Louisiana by enrollment

Largest K-12 public schools by total students enrolled

students

What this shows The largest public schools in Louisiana by enrollment — often statewide virtual academies or large consolidated campuses, so size here reflects reach, not quality.

Source NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) As of 2024-25

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data (CCD) — Public school universe · 2023-2024 Public K-12 school enrollment, demographics, and operational data; collected annually by NCES from state education agencies.