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What advice would you give to incoming students at St. James High School?
Community prompt from u/allk12. Replies below.
Enrollment
593
High
DISTRICT 751 · STATE 711
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·ST. JAMES PARISH·NCES 220150001167
St. James High School
22187 Hwy 20, Vacherie, LA 70090 · (225) 258-4900 · St. James Parish
GRADES 07–12HIGH41-RURALTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL593 STUDENTS
B+
allk12 Grade
Scored higher than 71% of Louisiana public high schools
- BTest scores Share of students meeting the state standard in reading, math, and other tested subjects, 2023-24 and 2024-25.
- B+Beats expectations How far test scores land above or below what the share of low-income students predicts for a school in this state.
- B-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 high schools
Student : Teacher
11.3:1
52 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.4:1 · STATE 18.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
72%
424 students
DISTRICT 68% · STATE 70%
Community
5
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other high schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 7 | 93 | 16% |
| Grade 8 | 110 | 19% |
| Grade 9 | 105 | 18% |
| Grade 10 | 119 | 20% |
| Grade 11 | 82 | 14% |
| Grade 12 | 84 | 14% |
Student demographics
40%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 50% · 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
47.0%
LA avg 41.8% . -2.0pp since 2022
Math
34.0%
LA avg 34.2% . +7.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the LEAP 2025, Louisiana's statewide test, about 47 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 34 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Louisiana schools, those numbers are about 42 and 34. Reading and writing scores are down about 2 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 7 points.
LEAP 2025 results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 47.0% | 34.0% |
| 2024-25 | 44.0% | 28.0% |
| 2023-24 | 45.0% | 31.0% |
| 2022-23 | 49.0% | 27.0% |
% 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
33.2%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
32.8%
based on LA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
+0.3pp
above demographic expectation
What this means: About 33% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 33% 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 St. James High School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| St. James High School this school | 593 | 71.5% | 33.2% |
| Minden High School Minden | 689 | 68.5% | N/A |
| Northwest High School Opelousas | 575 | 79.8% | N/A |
| Lake Charles College Prep Lake Charles | 624 | 75.2% | N/A |
| Ouachita Parish High School Monroe | 1,112 | 69.4% | N/A |
| Southwood High School Shreveport | 971 | 71.7% | N/A |
Matched among Louisiana high 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 St. James High School ranks
Among high schools| Measure | This school | In Louisiana |
|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.2% | #27 of 65 |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 34.0% | #28 of 69 ▲ 2 |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 47.0% | #23 of 70 ▲ 1 |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.5pp | #24 of 51 |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 593 | #131 of 267 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 11.3:1 | #45 of 240 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 40.3% | #156 of 240 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 71.5% | #112 of 258 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked steepest decline first | -8.5% | #107 of 156 |
Ranked against other public high 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
593
+3 (+1%) vs 2020
+37% since 1990-91, when it was 434
Student : Teacher
11.3:1
was 12.8:1
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 | 593 | 52.3 | 11.3:1 | 72% (424) |
| 2023-24 | 616 | 54.7 | 11.3:1 | 64% (394) |
| 2022-23 | 634 | 47.6 | 13.3:1 | 65% (410) |
| 2020-21 | 590 | 46 | 12.8:1 | 44% (261) |
| 2017-18 | 648 | 52.2 | 12.4:1 | 54% (349) |
| 2015-16 | 655 | 73 | 9.0:1 | 82% (538) |
| 2010-11 | 636 | 58 | 11.0:1 | 75% (475) |
| 2000-01 | 497 | 36 | 13.8:1 | 73% (362) |
| 1990-91 | 434 | 32 | 13.6:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for St. James High School.
Since 2017-18: students down 8% (648 to 593); teachers unchanged (52.2 to 52.3).
About St. James High School
St. James High School is a high school in Vacherie, Louisiana, according to federal school records. The school serves 593 students in grades 7 through 12 in 2024-25.
St. James High School is part of a district of 6 schools: St. James Parish, with 3,194 students.
St. James High School's enrollment is 74% Black. Next come 22% White and 3% Hispanic. That compares with about 47% Black among all St. James Parish residents. By the diversity index, St. James High School comes in at 40%.
The school reports 52.3 full-time-equivalent teachers, which works out to about 11.3 students per teacher. For comparison, high schools in Louisiana average 18.0:1. Free or reduced-price lunch eligibility covers 72% of students. The average for public schools in St. James Parish is 64%.
allk12 grades St. James High School a B+. The grade compares the school only with Louisiana public high schools, because each state gives its own test.
The BeatsExpectations prediction for St. James High School is 32.8%, and its average proficiency rate on state tests is 33.2%.
Census Bureau estimates for St. James Parish show that median household income is about $65,531, 20% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and about 8% of residents live below the federal poverty line. A total of 6 public schools operate in St. James Parish, serving about 3,194 students.
Of nearby public schools, Vacherie Elementary School is the closest, at about 2.4 miles. The count of other public schools within five miles is 3. Its average proficiency rate of 33.2% is below the 39.3% average for nearby schools.
On the NCES locale scale, the school is Rural: Fringe.
The student count changed little between 2020-21 (590) and 2024-25 (593). The student-to-teacher ratio went down from 12.8:1 to 11.3:1.
Community posts for St. James High School can cover sports schedules, lunch menus, and spirit week. Alumni can share how the school prepared them.
St. James Parish at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
19,528
Census ACS
Median income
$65,531
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
20%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
8%
Below federal line
Schools in county
6
3,194 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in St. James Parish
- Lutcher High SchoolHigh · 908 students
- Paulina Elementary SchoolElementary · 657 students
- Gramercy Elementary SchoolMiddle · 403 students
- Vacherie Elementary SchoolElementary · 364 students
- Sixth Ward Elementary SchoolMiddle · 269 students
Other schools in Vacherie
- Vacherie Elementary SchoolElementary · 364 students
- Sixth Ward Elementary SchoolMiddle · 269 students
Other St. James High schools
2 other US public schools in 3 states are named St. James High. St. James High School is the 2nd largest of the 3.
- St. James HighMurrells Inlet, SC · 1,826 students
- ST. JAMES HIGHST JAMES, MO · 509 students
Nearby schools
- Vacherie Elementary School2.4 mi · 364
- Sixth Ward Elementary School3.7 mi · 269
- Paulina Elementary School4.2 mi · 657
- Lutcher High School5.8 mi · 908
- Gramercy Elementary School6.2 mi · 403
- Garyville/Mt. Airy Math & Science Magnet Schl.7.7 mi · 305
Frequently asked questions
About St. James High SchoolWhat is the total enrollment at St. James High School?
St. James High School enrolls approximately 593 students in grades 07-12.
Is St. James High School an elementary, middle, or high school?
St. James High School is a high school covering grades 07-12.
How many teachers does St. James High School have?
St. James High School employs 52 FTE teachers, for a student-to-teacher ratio of 11.3:1.
What is the racial breakdown of students at St. James High School?
At St. James High School, the student body is approximately 22% White, 3% Hispanic, 74% Black, 1% Two or more.
Who oversees St. James High School?
St. James High School is overseen by St. James Parish in St. James Parish.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.