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What's something S. J. Welsh Middle School does better than most schools?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
1,011
Middle
DISTRICT 479 · STATE 440
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·CALCASIEU PARISH·NCES 220033000276
S. J. Welsh Middle School
1500 W McNeese, Lake Charles, LA 70605 · (337) 217-4410 · Calcasieu Parish
GRADES 06–08MIDDLE13-CITYTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL1,011 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 71% of Louisiana public middle schools
- A-Test scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- C+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- A-Three-year trend Change in reading and math proficiency over the last three test years.
Grades compare a school only with schools in the same state, because every state gives its own test. How grades work · Top-graded Louisiana public middle schools
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
90 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 10.6:1 · STATE 41.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
47%
478 students
DISTRICT 63% · STATE 70%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other middle schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 6 | 375 | 37% |
| Grade 7 | 304 | 30% |
| Grade 8 | 332 | 33% |
Student demographics
64%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 59% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
LEAP 2025 2025-26 . % Mastery+English Language Arts
53.0%
LA avg 41.8% . +4.0pp since 2022
Math
48.0%
LA avg 34.2% . +8.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the LEAP 2025, Louisiana's statewide test, about 53 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 48 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Louisiana schools, those numbers are about 42 and 34. Reading and writing scores are up about 4 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 8 points.
LEAP 2025 results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 53.0% | 48.0% |
| 2024-25 | 53.0% | 49.0% |
| 2023-24 | 52.0% | 42.0% |
| 2022-23 | 49.0% | 40.0% |
% Mastery+, all students and all tested grades.
Source: LEAP 2025. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
45.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
50.3%
based on LA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.2pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 45% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 50% typical for Louisiana schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Louisiana's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like S. J. Welsh Middle School
S. J. Welsh Middle School's state test result (45.2% proficient) is higher than 0 of the 5 schools below with a result.
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| S. J. Welsh Middle School this school | 1,011 | 47.3% | 45.2% |
| Edgar Martin Middle School Lafayette | 641 | 42.1% | 52.5% |
| Bluff Middle School Prairieville | 662 | 32.3% | 69.0% |
| West Ridge Middle School West Monroe | 681 | 41.1% | 59.0% |
| L.J. Alleman Middle School Lafayette | 890 | 46.9% | 55.2% |
| Belle Chasse Middle School Belle Chasse | 656 | 63.7% | 52.7% |
Matched among Louisiana middle schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where S. J. Welsh Middle School ranks
Among middle schools| Measure | This school | In Louisiana | In Calcasieu Parish |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 45.2% | #49 of 213 | #4 of 11 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 48.0% | #36 of 210 ▼ 8 | #3 of 11 ▲ 1 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 53.0% | #56 of 213 ▼ 6 | #4 of 11 ▼ 2 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +6.0pp | #50 of 197 | #7 of 11 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 1,011 | #2 of 220 | #1 of 11 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.2:1 | #45 of 195 | #6 of 10 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 64.0% | #35 of 195 | #2 of 10 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 47.3% | #181 of 214 | #8 of 11 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -26.4% | #38 of 162 | #2 of 10 |
Ranked against other public middle schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
1,011
-144 (-12%) vs 2020
+11% since 1990-91, when it was 911
Student : Teacher
11.2:1
was 15.8:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 1,011 | 90 | 11.2:1 | 47% (478) |
| 2023-24 | 1,031 | 93.7 | 11.0:1 | 49% (510) |
| 2022-23 | 1,107 | 76.9 | 14.4:1 | 49% (546) |
| 2020-21 | 1,155 | 73 | 15.8:1 | 58% (675) |
| 2017-18 | 1,374 | 79.4 | 17.3:1 | 41% (565) |
| 2015-16 | 1,245 | N/A | N/A | 46% (569) |
| 2010-11 | 1,295 | 83 | 15.6:1 | 53% (680) |
| 2000-01 | 1,183 | 70 | 16.9:1 | 32% (379) |
| 1990-91 | 911 | 48 | 19.0:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for S. J. Welsh Middle School.
Since 2017-18: students down 26% (1,374 to 1,011); teachers up 13% (79.4 to 90).
About S. J. Welsh Middle School
S. J. Welsh Middle School is a large middle school with an address in Lake Charles, Louisiana. A total of 1,011 students attend the school, which covers grades 6 through 8. Against the 440-student average for middle schools in Louisiana, enrollment here is 130% higher.
Calcasieu Parish has a total of 56 schools and 27,851 students, S. J. Welsh Middle School among them.
White students account for 51% of enrollment at S. J. Welsh Middle School. The remaining students are 30% Black, 7% Hispanic, 7% Asian, and 5% multiracial. Census figures show Calcasieu Parish is about 66% White. The chance that two students picked at random at S. J. Welsh Middle School belong to different racial or ethnic groups, known as the diversity index, is 64%.
The teaching staff at S. J. Welsh Middle School is 90 full-time-equivalent teachers, and the ratio is 11.2:1. The average ratio among middle schools in Louisiana is 41.0:1, higher than at this school. About 47% of students, or 478, qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. That is lower than the 59% average for public schools in Calcasieu Parish.
The allk12 Grade for S. J. Welsh Middle School is B+. Compared with Louisiana public middle schools, the school scored higher than 71% on a mix of test scores, poverty-adjusted results, and recent trend.
S. J. Welsh Middle School's actual average proficiency rate on state tests (45.2%) and its predicted rate (50.3%) put it outside the top and bottom 10% of Louisiana schools.
Among Calcasieu Parish residents, median household income is about $67,564, the share of adults with a bachelor's degree or higher is 25%, and about 13% of people live in poverty. S. J. Welsh Middle School is one of 61 public schools in Calcasieu Parish, which together enroll about 30,278 students.
Nearest public school: Alfred M. Barbe High School, about 0.7 miles away. Inside a five-mile radius, there are at least 8 other public schools. Nearby schools with test data average 42.2% proficiency; S. J. Welsh Middle School posts 45.2%.
The National Center for Education Statistics classifies the school's location as City: Small, meaning it is inside a principal city with a population under 100,000.
Between 2020-21 and 2024-25, the student count dropped from 1,155 to 1,011. From 2020-21 to 2024-25, the ratio fell from 15.8:1 to 11.2:1.
Discussions about S. J. Welsh Middle School may include school safety, transportation, and start times. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
Calcasieu Parish at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
207,088
Census ACS
Median income
$67,564
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
25%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
13%
Below federal line
Schools in county
61
30,278 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Calcasieu Parish
- Sulphur High SchoolHigh · 1,911 students
- Alfred M. Barbe High SchoolHigh · 1,908 students
- Sam Houston High SchoolHigh · 1,141 students
- Iowa High SchoolHigh · 1,007 students
- Moss Bluff Elementary SchoolElementary · 969 students
- LaGrange High SchoolHigh · 881 students
Other schools in Lake Charles
- Alfred M. Barbe High SchoolHigh · 1,908 students
- Sam Houston High SchoolHigh · 1,141 students
- Moss Bluff Elementary SchoolElementary · 969 students
- Lake Charles Charter AcademyElementary · 951 students
- LaGrange High SchoolHigh · 881 students
- Southwest Louisiana Charter AcademyElementary · 852 students
Nearby schools
- Alfred M. Barbe High School0.7 mi · 1,908
- A. A. Nelson Elementary School0.8 mi · 736
- Prien Lake Elementary School0.9 mi · 639
- Dolby Elementary School1.4 mi · 360
- College Oaks Elementary School1.6 mi · 278
- St. John Elementary School2.0 mi · 670
Frequently asked questions
About S. J. Welsh Middle SchoolHow large is S. J. Welsh Middle School?
S. J. Welsh Middle School enrolls approximately 1,011 students in grades 06-08.
What grades does S. J. Welsh Middle School serve?
S. J. Welsh Middle School serves grades 06-08.
What is the student-teacher ratio at S. J. Welsh Middle School?
The student-to-teacher ratio at S. J. Welsh Middle School is approximately 11.2:1 (90 FTE teachers).
What is the racial breakdown of students at S. J. Welsh Middle School?
At S. J. Welsh Middle School, the student body is approximately 51% White, 7% Hispanic, 30% Black, 7% Asian, 5% Two or more.
What district is S. J. Welsh Middle School in?
S. J. Welsh Middle School is part of Calcasieu Parish.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.