Louisiana Schools & Education

Public school metrics and education data for all 64 counties.

NCES 2022-23 public school data and FY 2022 school-finance data

Avg Graduation Rate

85.4%

Avg Per-Pupil Spending

$7,881

Avg School Score

53/100

Total Schools

1,336

194 districts

State Overview

About Schools in Louisiana

This summary is generated from the NCES metrics shown on this page and reviewed against the source data by the Data Editor. It is not school advice.

Louisiana Trails National Spending and Graduation Benchmarks

Louisiana's average graduation rate of 85.4% sits just below the national benchmark of 87.0%. The state's average per-pupil spending of $7,881 is significantly lower than the national average of $13,000, placing a heavy burden on local district efficiency.

Extreme Performance Gaps Across 64 Parishes

The state's 64 districts show a massive performance gap, with school scores ranging from a high of 69.5 down to a low of 10.6. Graduation rates illustrate this divide even more sharply, swinging from 99.0% in Jefferson Davis Parish to just 4.0% in Morehouse Parish.

Mixed ROI on Limited Education Dollars

Louisiana manages a state average school score of 53.0, which is slightly above the national median of 50.0 despite the low per-pupil investment. However, the extreme low-end outcomes in underfunded districts suggest that the $7,881 state average is not yet enough to ensure statewide success.

Top Performers Lead with Higher Investment

Cameron Parish leads the state with a 69.5 score and a 97.0% graduation rate, fueled by the state's highest per-pupil spending of $12,683. Bienville and De Soto Parishes follow closely, both maintaining graduation rates of 96% or higher through above-average local investment.

A State Defined by Localized Success

While Louisiana stays competitive on average scores, families find the most success in parishes like Cameron or Bienville where spending exceeds the state mean. The sharp decline in performance in parishes like Morehouse suggests that location and local funding are the primary drivers of student achievement here.

State Score Context

How Louisiana Counties Are Distributed

64 of 64 counties have enough NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data to receive a county school score. Use this distribution to understand whether the state has a concentrated cluster of high, midrange, or lower measured signals.

Scored county coverage

Counties with complete enough data for the composite score

100%

Higher measured signal

Score range 70-100

Midrange measured signal

Score range 40-69

Lower measured signal

Score range 0-39

Scores are comparative signals from available federal data, not ratings of individual schools.

Highest Measured School Signals

Cameron Parish

96/100

School score

Bienville Parish

94/100

School score

Caldwell Parish

89/100

School score

De Soto Parish

88/100

School score

East Carroll Parish

87/100

School score

Lowest Measured School Signals

#1 lowest

Richland Parish

16/100

School score

#2 lowest

Tangipahoa Parish

17/100

School score

#3 lowest

Lafayette Parish

21/100

School score

#4 lowest

Orleans Parish

21/100

School score

#5 lowest

Evangeline Parish

25/100

School score

All Louisiana Counties

County-level school score, graduation rate, and per-pupil spending for Louisiana.
County	School Score	Graduation Rate	Per-Pupil Spending
Cameron Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $12,683	96/100	97.0%	$12,683
Bienville Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $10,825	94/100	97.0%	$10,825
Caldwell Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $9,250	89/100	97.0%	$9,250
De Soto Parish Graduation 96.0% Per pupil $9,633	88/100	96.0%	$9,633
East Carroll Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $8,996	87/100	97.0%	$8,996
Claiborne Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $7,880	79/100	97.0%	$7,880
Lincoln Parish Graduation 95.5% Per pupil $8,055	78/100	95.5%	$8,055
Calcasieu Parish Graduation 94.9% Per pupil $8,132	76/100	94.9%	$8,132
West Feliciana Parish Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $9,397	75/100	92.0%	$9,397
Allen Parish Graduation 98.0% Per pupil $7,337	73/100	98.0%	$7,337
LaSalle Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $7,364	73/100	97.0%	$7,364
Vernon Parish Graduation 96.0% Per pupil $7,311	70/100	96.0%	$7,311
Iberville Parish Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $10,056	69/100	90.0%	$10,056
St. Mary Parish Graduation 96.0% Per pupil $7,271	69/100	96.0%	$7,271
Jefferson Davis Parish Graduation 99.0% Per pupil $6,931	68/100	99.0%	$6,931
Assumption Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $7,003	68/100	97.0%	$7,003
West Baton Rouge Parish Graduation 88.0% Per pupil $11,561	66/100	88.0%	$11,561
Vermilion Parish Graduation 99.0% Per pupil $6,737	66/100	99.0%	$6,737
Plaquemines Parish Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $8,535	65/100	91.0%	$8,535
Franklin Parish Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,959	65/100	92.0%	$7,959
West Carroll Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $6,626	63/100	97.0%	$6,626
Winn Parish Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,772	63/100	92.0%	$7,772
St. Charles Parish Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $10,899	63/100	87.0%	$10,899
Beauregard Parish Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,937	62/100	95.0%	$6,937
Terrebonne Parish Graduation 95.0% Per pupil $6,937	62/100	95.0%	$6,937
St. Bernard Parish Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $7,289	61/100	93.0%	$7,289
St. James Parish Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $10,104	61/100	87.0%	$10,104
Grant Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $6,097	57/100	97.0%	$6,097
Union Parish Graduation 92.8% Per pupil $6,994	56/100	92.8%	$6,994
Bossier Parish Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $7,136	55/100	92.0%	$7,136
Lafourche Parish Graduation 97.0% Per pupil $5,870	54/100	97.0%	$5,870
Livingston Parish Graduation 93.0% Per pupil $6,645	52/100	93.0%	$6,645
Avoyelles Parish Graduation 94.1% Per pupil $6,290	52/100	94.1%	$6,290
Webster Parish Graduation 91.0% Per pupil $7,257	52/100	91.0%	$7,257
Natchitoches Parish Graduation 86.3% Per pupil $8,588	51/100	86.3%	$8,588
Tensas Parish Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $9,283	51/100	84.0%	$9,283
Acadia Parish Graduation 92.0% Per pupil $6,763	50/100	92.0%	$6,763
Catahoula Parish Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $8,085	49/100	87.0%	$8,085
Madison Parish Graduation 77.0% Per pupil $10,227	48/100	77.0%	$10,227
St. John the Baptist Parish Graduation 79.0% Per pupil $9,822	47/100	79.0%	$9,822
Ascension Parish Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $7,069	46/100	90.0%	$7,069
St. Tammany Parish Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $8,409	46/100	84.0%	$8,409
Jackson Parish Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $7,623	44/100	87.0%	$7,623
Iberia Parish Graduation 90.0% Per pupil $6,884	43/100	90.0%	$6,884
Red River Parish Graduation 42.0% Per pupil $9,640	42/100	42.0%	$9,640
Ouachita Parish Graduation 89.6% Per pupil $6,829	41/100	89.6%	$6,829
St. Landry Parish Graduation 84.5% Per pupil $7,687	39/100	84.5%	$7,687
Rapides Parish Graduation 83.0% Per pupil $7,761	38/100	83.0%	$7,761
Washington Parish Graduation 86.6% Per pupil $7,215	37/100	86.6%	$7,215
Concordia Parish Graduation 74.3% Per pupil $8,035	34/100	74.3%	$8,035
Caddo Parish Graduation 83.0% Per pupil $7,386	33/100	83.0%	$7,386
St. Helena Parish Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,759	33/100	87.0%	$6,759
Morehouse Parish Graduation 4.0% Per pupil $8,066	32/100	4.0%	$8,066
East Baton Rouge Parish Graduation 75.3% Per pupil $7,470	28/100	75.3%	$7,470
Sabine Parish Graduation 18.0% Per pupil $7,707	28/100	18.0%	$7,707
East Feliciana Parish Graduation 47.0% Per pupil $7,579	27/100	47.0%	$7,579
Pointe Coupee Parish Graduation 82.0% Per pupil $7,045	27/100	82.0%	$7,045
Jefferson Parish Graduation 75.8% Per pupil $7,318	26/100	75.8%	$7,318
St. Martin Parish Graduation 87.0% Per pupil $6,133	25/100	87.0%	$6,133
Evangeline Parish Graduation 84.0% Per pupil $6,658	25/100	84.0%	$6,658
Orleans Parish Graduation 71.8% Per pupil $7,102	21/100	71.8%	$7,102
Lafayette Parish Graduation 84.3% Per pupil $6,235	21/100	84.3%	$6,235
Tangipahoa Parish Graduation 78.0% Per pupil $6,479	17/100	78.0%	$6,479
Richland Parish Graduation 64.2% Per pupil $6,757	16/100	64.2%	$6,757

— = data not available for this county.

Compare county school profiles in Louisiana

Use the comparison tool to review school scores, graduation rates, and spending side by side.

Compare Counties

Frequently Asked Questions About Louisiana Schools

Which Louisiana counties have the highest graduation rates?

Jefferson Davis Parish (99.0%), Vermilion Parish (99.0%), and Allen Parish (98.0%) currently lead Louisiana among counties with available NCES four-year adjusted cohort graduation-rate data. This answer is generated from the same dataset used in the county table and can change when federal data refreshes.

What is per-pupil spending like in Louisiana?

Across Louisiana counties with available NCES district-finance data, average per-pupil spending is $7,881. The highest current county values are Cameron Parish ($12,683), West Baton Rouge Parish ($11,561), and St. Charles Parish ($10,899). Compare counties in the table before treating the statewide average as representative of a local district.

Which Louisiana county has the strongest measured school score?

Cameron Parish has the highest school score in Louisiana with a score of 96/100, based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance data.

What is the average graduation rate in Louisiana?

The average high school graduation rate across Louisiana counties is 85.4%, based on NCES data.

Which county in Louisiana has the lowest school score?

Richland Parish has the lowest school score in Louisiana with a score of 16/100. School scores reflect available graduation-rate and per-pupil spending signals.

Data Sources

Education data sourced from the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) Common Core of Data and School District Finance Survey. School scores are derived composite metrics based on available NCES graduation-rate and school-finance signals.

Data is informational only. Coverage varies by county and reporting year. Not for use as the sole basis for educational decisions.

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