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Sam Houston High School

Public Grades 9-12
39th
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 325 Louisiana High Schools
Better than 88% of Louisiana high schools
Summary

Sam Houston High School in Lake Charles, LA, is a large public high school serving 1,141 students in grades 9-12 as part of the Calcasieu Parish school district. This school is a consistent top performer, earning a 4-star rating for the last ten years and currently ranking 39th out of 325 high schools in Louisiana (88th percentile). It stands out for its exceptional academic results, with proficiency rates on state exams that are well above district and state averages—for example, 86% proficient in English II and 85% in Algebra I. Compared to nearby schools, Sam Houston outperforms its in-district rivals like Sulphur High School (ranked 78th) and Alfred M. Barbe High School (ranked 67th), and is in a different league from schools like LaGrange High School (ranked 301st).

One of the school's most distinctive strengths is its support for special education students, ranking in the top 8% of the state for the last three years. This suggests highly effective, targeted programs. The school also has a low dropout rate (around 1.1% to 1.4%) and a strong graduation rate, indicating a culture of student retention. However, there is a notable paradox: despite stellar academics, Sam Houston has a chronic absenteeism rate of 26.7%, which is higher than the district (20.9%) and state (22.5%) averages. This means the school achieves its success even with many students missing significant school time, highlighting both the effectiveness of its instruction and an opportunity for improvement.

While Sam Houston is a top-tier school, it faces some challenges. Its performance for Hispanic students has dropped to a 3-star rating, suggesting a need for targeted support. In contrast, the school is showing consistent improvement in serving students from low socio-economic backgrounds, with its ranking rising to the 81st percentile. The only nearby school that matches its performance is the much smaller Grand Lake High School (ranked 41st), which has even higher proficiency in some subjects and a lower absenteeism rate. Overall, Sam Houston offers a strong academic environment with notable support for special education, though families should be aware of the absenteeism issue and the varying performance for different student groups.

1,141
Students ?
14.7
Student/teacher ratio ?
$14,250
Per pupil spending ?
34.3%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 880 S H Jones Parkway
       Lake Charles, LA  70611

(337) 217-4480

District: Calcasieu Parish


Feeder schools for Sam Houston High School:

Elementary:    Gillis Elementary School
    Moss Bluff Elementary School
Middle:    Moss Bluff Middle School
Racial breakdown:

White:
78.5%
African American:
10.9%
Hispanic:
6.7%
more
 See top rated Louisiana high schools

 Compare Sam Houston High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Improving — 76th percentile in 2016 → 88th in 2026
Strengths
Test scores above the Louisiana average (79% vs 62% meeting standards)
Ranks in the top 12% of Louisiana high schools
Ranking is trending up — up 12 percentile points since 2016
Worth a look
!Some student groups rank well below the school's overall statewide standing
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school79%
District avg66%
Louisiana avg62%
39th of 325
Louisiana public high schools ?
Top 12%▲ up 12 pts since 2016
From top 24% (2016) to top 12% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Louisiana High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
1st of 9High Schools in the Calcasieu Parish
31st of 116Calcasieu Parish among Louisiana districts
Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202683.039 of 32588.0%★★★★☆
202577.556 of 32983.0%★★★★☆
202473.570 of 33379.0%★★★★☆
202373.561 of 32181.0%★★★★☆
202279.342 of 32687.1%★★★★☆
202178.646 of 32285.7%★★★★☆
201980.039 of 31387.5%★★★★☆
201873.151 of 30283.1%★★★★☆
201771.971 of 29776.1%★★★★☆
201671.470 of 29776.4%★★★★☆
201568.776 of 31275.6%★★★★☆
201465.795 of 30969.3%★★★☆☆
201362.5122 of 31260.9%★★★☆☆
201275.351 of 31083.5%★★★★☆
201176.948 of 30084.0%★★★★☆
201073.155 of 29781.5%★★★★☆
200973.055 of 30181.7%★★★★☆
200876.140 of 29186.3%★★★★☆
200785.125 of 29091.4%★★★★★

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202668.560 of 26076.9%★★★★☆
202579.326 of 25689.8%★★★★★
202465.062 of 26076.2%★★★★☆
202380.332 of 25287.3%★★★★☆
202271.942 of 25683.6%★★★★☆
202161.278 of 24367.9%★★★☆☆
201972.240 of 23382.8%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202683.036 of 31388.5%★★★★☆
202581.841 of 30886.7%★★★★☆
202469.487 of 30871.8%★★★★☆
202368.797 of 30868.5%★★★☆☆
202278.049 of 31184.2%★★★★☆
202178.541 of 28885.8%★★★★☆
201977.747 of 29283.9%★★★★☆

Hispanic

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202650.257 of 12554.4%★★★☆☆
202558.547 of 12060.8%★★★☆☆
202471.126 of 11377.0%★★★★☆
202363.332 of 10770.1%★★★★☆
202258.838 of 10363.1%★★★☆☆
202168.428 of 9269.6%★★★★☆
201964.024 of 7869.2%★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202673.362 of 32180.7%★★★★☆
202564.985 of 32373.7%★★★★☆
202461.7107 of 32867.4%★★★☆☆
202365.687 of 32172.9%★★★★☆
202271.857 of 32282.3%★★★★☆
202177.339 of 28586.3%★★★★☆
201976.852 of 30182.7%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202681.541 of 31186.8%★★★★☆
202575.656 of 31382.1%★★★★☆
202474.759 of 31581.3%★★★★☆
202376.552 of 30683.0%★★★★☆
202278.445 of 30185.0%★★★★☆
202178.946 of 29284.2%★★★★☆
201978.047 of 29183.8%★★★★☆

Multi-racial

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202581.64 of 6693.9%★★★★★
202438.544 of 6330.2%★★☆☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202680.614 of 16891.7%★★★★★
202583.410 of 17094.1%★★★★★
202487.86 of 16596.4%★★★★★
202383.76 of 13895.7%★★★★★
202288.38 of 13994.2%★★★★★
202188.67 of 13594.8%★★★★★
201962.138 of 12268.9%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202677.147 of 24480.7%★★★★☆
202568.964 of 24573.9%★★★★☆
202461.591 of 24863.3%★★★☆☆
202356.0107 of 24957.0%★★★☆☆
202269.157 of 25077.2%★★★★☆
202171.248 of 24580.4%★★★★☆
201969.562 of 24975.1%★★★★☆
How student groups rank statewide ? (each group's percentile vs the same group at other schools — higher is better; the +/- beside each compares the group with this school's overall percentile)
Multi-racial (2025)94th percentile+11 vs school
Special Education (2026)92nd percentile+4 vs school
Female (2026)88th percentile~ school
Male (2026)87th percentile~ school
White (2026)81st percentile-7 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)81st percentile-7 vs school
African American (2026)77th percentile-11 vs school
Hispanic (2026)54th percentile-34 vs school
By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?
English II86%+19 vs state
Algebra I85%+20 vs state
English I83%+17 vs state
Geometry79%+22 vs state
Biology78%+18 vs state
U.S. History61%+6 vs state

5.0
1 rating
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Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Houston High School

In the 2024-25 school year, 1,141 students attended Sam Houston High School.

Students at Sam Houston High School are 79% White, 11% African American, 7% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

Sam Houston High School ranks 39th of 325 Louisiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Sam Houston High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Gillis Elementary School
Elementary : Moss Bluff Elementary School
Middle : Moss Bluff Middle School


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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Louisiana Dept of Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.





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