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St. James High School

Public Grades 7-12
162nd
SchoolDigger Rank ?
of 325 Louisiana High Schools
Better than 50% of Louisiana high schools
Summary

St. James High School in Vacherie, LA, serves 593 students in grades 7 through 12 and is part of the St. James Parish school district, which holds a 3-star rating. Despite serving a community where over 70% of students are eligible for free or reduced lunch, the school maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11.3:1, allowing for individualized attention. The school consistently outperforms both its district and state averages in core subjects like Mathematics (65% proficiency), English Language Arts (78% proficiency), and Social Studies (67% proficiency), with its ELA performance notably 8 percentage points above the state average.

One of the school's standout features is its exceptional graduation rate of 92.7%, which far exceeds the state average of 85.0%, and a low dropout rate of 2.2%. This combination of high graduation and low dropout rates indicates a strong culture of student retention and support. Compared to nearby schools, St. James also excels in keeping students in class, with a chronic absenteeism rate of 16.7% that is significantly lower than Donaldsonville High School (25.0%), Thibodaux High School (28.0%), and East St. John High School (34.0%).

When compared to its district rival, Lutcher High School, St. James presents a compelling profile. While Lutcher has a higher overall state ranking and lower poverty rate, St. James outperforms it in graduation rate (92.7% vs. 87.9%), dropout rate (2.2% vs. 4.0%), and proficiency in English Language Arts (78% vs. 70%) and Social Studies (67% vs. 58%). This suggests that despite serving a more economically disadvantaged student body, St. James is highly effective at ensuring students stay in school and master core content. The school's success in achieving graduation rates above 90% and proficiency rates meeting or exceeding state averages positions it as a model for high-poverty, high-performance schools.

593
Students ?
11.3
Student/teacher ratio ?
$22,892
Per pupil spending ?
71.5%
Free/discounted lunch ?
 22187 Hwy 20
       Vacherie, LA  70090

(225) 258-4900

District: St. James Parish


Feeder schools for St. James High School:

Elementary:    Vacherie Elementary School
Middle:    Sixth Ward Elementary School
Racial breakdown:

African American:
73.9%
White:
22.4%
Hispanic:
2.9%
more
 See top rated Louisiana high schools

 Compare St. James High School to nearby high schools!
At a glance
Ranking trend: Declining — 59th percentile in 2016 → 50th in 2026
Strengths
93% graduate in 4 years — above the Louisiana average (85%)
Above the Louisiana median (50th percentile)
Small classes — about 11 students per teacher
Worth a look
!Ranking has slipped — down 9 percentile points since 2016
!U.S. History scores 10 pts below the Louisiana average
Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?
This school64%
District avg64%
Louisiana avg62%
Middle school
137th of 452
Louisiana public middle schools ?
Top 30%▲ up 30 pts since 2016
From bottom 40% (2016) to top 30% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Louisiana Middle Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
High school
162nd of 325
Louisiana public high schools ?
Top 50%▼ down 9 pts since 2016
From top 41% (2016) to top 50% (2026)
See the entire ranking list of Louisiana High Schools →
SchoolDigger rating ?
2nd of 2High Schools in the St. James Parish
42nd of 116St. James 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)
Middle school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202671.0137 of 45269.7%★★★★☆
202565.5154 of 44765.5%★★★☆☆
202468.0145 of 44967.7%★★★☆☆
202363.3165 of 46564.5%★★★☆☆
202261.2183 of 46060.2%★★★☆☆
202152.2219 of 45952.3%★★★☆☆
201968.6145 of 44967.7%★★★☆☆
201872.179 of 41180.8%★★★★☆
201765.3153 of 43765.0%★★★☆☆
201647.6261 of 43540.0%★★☆☆☆
201539.1324 of 48232.8%★★☆☆☆
201437.8318 of 47032.3%★★☆☆☆
201346.4264 of 45742.2%★★☆☆☆
201247.5251 of 44243.2%★★☆☆☆
201154.3219 of 41246.8%★★☆☆☆
201037.8283 of 40830.6%★★☆☆☆
200937.8295 of 42530.6%★★☆☆☆
200840.5273 of 41333.9%★★☆☆☆
200738.8272 of 39631.3%★★☆☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202677.657 of 34483.4%★★★★☆
202576.759 of 34482.8%★★★★☆
202478.848 of 33385.6%★★★★☆
202373.466 of 36081.7%★★★★☆
202270.566 of 36081.7%★★★★☆
202164.192 of 35273.9%★★★★☆
201977.461 of 33882.0%★★★★☆
201888.127 of 31391.4%★★★★★

Disabled

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
201861.042 of 17075.3%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202675.8104 of 43476.0%★★★★☆
202564.5144 of 41565.3%★★★☆☆
202466.7138 of 41566.7%★★★☆☆
202358.6189 of 44457.4%★★★☆☆
202262.1162 of 44163.3%★★★☆☆
202151.3220 of 44150.1%★★★☆☆
201968.0140 of 41866.5%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202670.1123 of 45072.7%★★★★☆
202567.2135 of 43769.1%★★★☆☆
202462.8158 of 44464.4%★★★☆☆
202357.8180 of 45960.8%★★★☆☆
202252.8210 of 45854.1%★★★☆☆
202148.0233 of 45548.8%★★☆☆☆
201967.0129 of 43070.0%★★★★☆
201883.343 of 40389.3%★★★★☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202666.7149 of 43565.7%★★★☆☆
202470.4117 of 42672.5%★★★★☆
202367.9132 of 44370.2%★★★★☆
202259.6176 of 44260.2%★★★☆☆
202150.7214 of 44251.6%★★★☆☆
201954.6192 of 41854.1%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202552.271 of 16857.7%★★★☆☆
202459.956 of 17568.0%★★★☆☆
202334.2135 of 20634.5%★★☆☆☆
202281.318 of 20691.3%★★★★★
202188.27 of 21096.7%★★★★★
201953.673 of 20263.9%★★★☆☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202676.273 of 33878.4%★★★★☆
202566.7109 of 31665.5%★★★☆☆
202465.7104 of 32067.5%★★★☆☆
202362.0128 of 35263.6%★★★☆☆
202264.7129 of 36264.4%★★★☆☆
202161.1142 of 35860.3%★★★☆☆
201959.7148 of 35057.7%★★★☆☆
201883.441 of 33887.9%★★★★☆
High school ranking
Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202653.2162 of 32550.2%★★★☆☆
202560.4127 of 32961.4%★★★☆☆
202455.0158 of 33352.6%★★★☆☆
202361.5129 of 32159.8%★★★☆☆
202255.7146 of 32655.2%★★★☆☆
202147.7169 of 32247.5%★★☆☆☆
201961.8126 of 31359.7%★★★☆☆
201857.0131 of 30256.6%★★★☆☆
201765.6121 of 29759.3%★★★☆☆
201660.6122 of 29758.9%★★★☆☆
201564.8105 of 31266.3%★★★☆☆
201456.5159 of 30948.5%★★☆☆☆
201354.3170 of 31245.5%★★☆☆☆
201250.9184 of 31040.6%★★☆☆☆
201147.6198 of 30034.0%★★☆☆☆
201044.1203 of 29731.6%★★☆☆☆
200946.1181 of 30139.9%★★☆☆☆
200871.861 of 29179.0%★★★★☆
200765.999 of 29065.9%★★★☆☆

African American

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202666.765 of 26075.0%★★★★☆
202570.745 of 25682.4%★★★★☆
202465.360 of 26076.9%★★★★☆
202371.449 of 25280.6%★★★★☆
202268.849 of 25680.9%★★★★☆
202160.980 of 24367.1%★★★☆☆
201973.536 of 23384.5%★★★★☆

Female

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202659.1141 of 31355.0%★★★☆☆
202560.1126 of 30859.1%★★★☆☆
202461.5125 of 30859.4%★★★☆☆
202362.7123 of 30860.1%★★★☆☆
202266.9100 of 31167.8%★★★☆☆
202153.0145 of 28849.7%★★★☆☆
201963.6109 of 29262.7%★★★☆☆

Low Socio Economic Status

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202644.5177 of 32144.9%★★☆☆☆
202560.7110 of 32365.9%★★★☆☆
202446.9183 of 32844.2%★★☆☆☆
202354.3145 of 32154.8%★★★☆☆
202254.7138 of 32257.1%★★★☆☆
202134.1192 of 28532.6%★★☆☆☆
201958.9114 of 30162.1%★★★☆☆

Male

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202644.7171 of 31145.0%★★☆☆☆
202561.0110 of 31364.9%★★★☆☆
202442.3183 of 31541.9%★★☆☆☆
202359.1126 of 30658.8%★★★☆☆
202243.4166 of 30144.9%★★☆☆☆
202134.0204 of 29230.1%★★☆☆☆
201960.8113 of 29161.2%★★★☆☆

Special Education

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202643.280 of 16852.4%★★★☆☆
202556.161 of 17064.1%★★★☆☆
202470.733 of 16580.0%★★★★☆

White

YearAvg scoreStatewide rankLouisiana percentileRating
202650.2130 of 24446.7%★★☆☆☆
202559.296 of 24560.8%★★★☆☆
202455.5114 of 24854.0%★★★☆☆
202365.577 of 24969.1%★★★☆☆
202267.762 of 25075.2%★★★★☆
202160.486 of 24564.9%★★★☆☆
201973.747 of 24981.1%★★★★☆
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)
Middle school
African American (2026)83rd percentile+14 vs school
White (2026)78th percentile+9 vs school
Female (2026)76th percentile+6 vs school
Disabled (2018)75th percentile-5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)73rd percentile+3 vs school
Male (2026)66th percentile-4 vs school
Special Education (2025)58th percentile-8 vs school
High school
African American (2026)75th percentile+25 vs school
Female (2026)55th percentile+5 vs school
Special Education (2026)52nd percentile~ school
White (2026)47th percentile-3 vs school
Male (2026)45th percentile-5 vs school
Low Socio Economic Status (2026)45th percentile-5 vs school
By subject vs Louisiana (2025-2026) ?
English Language Arts78%+8 vs state
Social Studies67%+12 vs state
Algebra I67%~ state avg
Biology67%+7 vs state
Mathematics65%+3 vs state
English II65%~ state avg
English I61%-5 vs state
Geometry60%+3 vs state
U.S. History45%-10 vs state

4.0
1 rating
50
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30
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10
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Frequently Asked Questions about St. James High School

Students at St. James High School are 74% African American, 22% White, 3% Hispanic.

St. James High School is fed by the following schools:

Elementary : Vacherie Elementary School
Middle : Sixth Ward Elementary School

In the 2024-25 school year, 593 students attended St. James High School.

St. James High School ranks 162nd of 325 Louisiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.


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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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