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Rankings updated: Louisiana rankings were updated on September 12, 2026 with the addition of grade 3-8 science and High School Civics test scores

Sam Houston High School

Q: Is Sam Houston High School a good school?

Sam Houston High School ranks 43 rd of 329 Louisiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

Public Grades 9-12

43^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 329 Louisiana High Schools

Better than 87% 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%

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 → 87th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Louisiana average (77% vs 62% meeting standards)

✓Ranks in the top 13% of Louisiana high schools

✓Ranking is trending up — up 11 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 school77%

District avg67%

Louisiana avg62%

43^rd of 329

Louisiana public high schools ?

Top 13%▲ up 10 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to top 13% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Louisiana High Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

1^st of 9High Schools in the Calcasieu Parish

29^th of 119Calcasieu 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

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	78.2	43 of 329	86.9%	★★★★☆
2025	77.5	56 of 329	83.0%	★★★★☆
2024	73.5	70 of 333	79.0%	★★★★☆
2023	73.5	61 of 321	81.0%	★★★★☆
2022	79.3	42 of 326	87.1%	★★★★☆
2021	78.6	46 of 322	85.7%	★★★★☆
2019	80.0	39 of 313	87.5%	★★★★☆
2018	73.1	51 of 302	83.1%	★★★★☆
2017	71.9	71 of 297	76.1%	★★★★☆
2016	71.4	70 of 297	76.4%	★★★★☆
2015	68.7	76 of 312	75.6%	★★★★☆
2014	65.7	95 of 309	69.3%	★★★☆☆
2013	62.5	122 of 312	60.9%	★★★☆☆
2012	75.3	51 of 310	83.5%	★★★★☆
2011	76.9	48 of 300	84.0%	★★★★☆
2010	73.1	55 of 297	81.5%	★★★★☆
2009	73.0	55 of 301	81.7%	★★★★☆
2008	76.1	40 of 291	86.3%	★★★★☆
2007	85.1	25 of 290	91.4%	★★★★★

African American

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	66.9	58 of 261	77.8%	★★★★☆
2025	79.3	26 of 256	89.8%	★★★★★
2024	65.0	62 of 260	76.2%	★★★★☆
2023	80.3	32 of 252	87.3%	★★★★☆
2022	71.9	42 of 256	83.6%	★★★★☆
2021	61.2	78 of 243	67.9%	★★★☆☆
2019	72.2	40 of 233	82.8%	★★★★☆

Female

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	80.1	40 of 312	87.2%	★★★★☆
2025	81.8	41 of 308	86.7%	★★★★☆
2024	69.4	87 of 308	71.8%	★★★★☆
2023	68.7	97 of 308	68.5%	★★★☆☆
2022	78.0	49 of 311	84.2%	★★★★☆
2021	78.5	41 of 288	85.8%	★★★★☆
2019	77.7	47 of 292	83.9%	★★★★☆

Hispanic

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	48.1	60 of 128	53.1%	★★★☆☆
2025	58.5	47 of 120	60.8%	★★★☆☆
2024	71.1	26 of 113	77.0%	★★★★☆
2023	63.3	32 of 107	70.1%	★★★★☆
2022	58.8	38 of 103	63.1%	★★★☆☆
2021	68.4	28 of 92	69.6%	★★★★☆
2019	64.0	24 of 78	69.2%	★★★★☆

Low Socio Economic Status

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	63.1	93 of 324	71.3%	★★★★☆
2025	64.9	85 of 323	73.7%	★★★★☆
2024	61.7	107 of 328	67.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	65.6	87 of 321	72.9%	★★★★☆
2022	71.8	57 of 322	82.3%	★★★★☆
2021	77.3	39 of 285	86.3%	★★★★☆
2019	76.8	52 of 301	82.7%	★★★★☆

Male

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	77.2	49 of 315	84.4%	★★★★☆
2025	75.6	56 of 313	82.1%	★★★★☆
2024	74.7	59 of 315	81.3%	★★★★☆
2023	76.5	52 of 306	83.0%	★★★★☆
2022	78.4	45 of 301	85.0%	★★★★☆
2021	78.9	46 of 292	84.2%	★★★★☆
2019	78.0	47 of 291	83.8%	★★★★☆

Multi-racial

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2025	81.6	4 of 66	93.9%	★★★★★
2024	38.5	44 of 63	30.2%	★★☆☆☆

Special Education

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	83.6	12 of 182	93.4%	★★★★★
2025	83.4	10 of 170	94.1%	★★★★★
2024	87.8	6 of 165	96.4%	★★★★★
2023	83.7	6 of 138	95.7%	★★★★★
2022	88.3	8 of 139	94.2%	★★★★★
2021	88.6	7 of 135	94.8%	★★★★★
2019	62.1	38 of 122	68.9%	★★★★☆

White

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Louisiana percentile	Rating
2026	70.4	59 of 248	76.2%	★★★★☆
2025	68.9	64 of 245	73.9%	★★★★☆
2024	61.5	91 of 248	63.3%	★★★☆☆
2023	56.0	107 of 249	57.0%	★★★☆☆
2022	69.1	57 of 250	77.2%	★★★★☆
2021	71.2	48 of 245	80.4%	★★★★☆
2019	69.5	62 of 249	75.1%	★★★★☆

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)93rd percentile+6 vs school

Female (2026)87th percentile~ school

Male (2026)84th percentile~ school

African American (2026)78th percentile-9 vs school

White (2026)76th percentile-11 vs school

Low Socio Economic Status (2026)71st percentile-16 vs school

Hispanic (2026)53rd 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

Civics69%+7 vs state

U.S. History61%+6 vs state

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Schools Near Sam Houston High School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				LEAP Mathematics (2026)				LEAP English Language Arts (2026)				LEAP Science (2026)				LEAP Social Studies (2026)				LEAP Algebra I (2026)	LEAP Geometry (2026)	LEAP English II (2026)	LEAP U.S. History (2026)	LEAP English I (2026)	LEAP Biology (2026)	LEAP Civics (2026)	Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	LEAP Mathematics 6th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 7th Grade	LEAP Mathematics 8th Grade	LEAP Mathematics All Grades	LEAP English Language Arts 6th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 7th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts 8th Grade	LEAP English Language Arts All Grades	LEAP Science 6th Grade	LEAP Science 7th Grade	LEAP Science 8th Grade	LEAP Science All Grades	LEAP Social Studies 6th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 7th Grade	LEAP Social Studies 8th Grade	LEAP Social Studies All Grades	LEAP Algebra I End of Course	LEAP Geometry End of Course	LEAP English II End of Course	LEAP U.S. History End of Course	LEAP English I End of Course	LEAP Biology End of Course	LEAP Civics End of Course	Total
Sam Houston High School	Public	9-12	880 S H Jones Parkway	Lake Charles	70611	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4480	1,141	77	14.7	34.3%	896 (78.5%)	124 (10.9%)	77 (6.7%)	10 (0.9%)	2 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (2.8%)	78.2	43^rd of 329 public high schools	86.9%		77.5	56^th of 329 public high schools	83.0%	13																	85.0	79.0	86.0	61.0	83.0	78.0	69.0	$14,250
Washington/Marion Magnet High School	Public	9-12	2802 Pineview Street	Lake Charles	70601	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4540	597	48	12.5	85.3%	11 (1.8%)	558 (93.5%)	19 (3.2%)	1 (0.2%)	4 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	4 (0.7%)	16.8	273^rd of 329 public high schools	17.0%		14.5	279^th of 329 public high schools	15.2%	6																	48.0	47.0	37.0	31.0	30.0	29.0	48.0	$17,360
Westlake High School	Public	9-12	1000 Garden Drive	Westlake	70669	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4950	487	50	9.6	44.1%	359 (73.7%)	80 (16.4%)	29 (6.0%)	3 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	16 (3.3%)	57.2	141^st of 329 public high schools	57.1%		59.3	133^rd of 329 public high schools	59.6%	8																	65.0	80.0	78.0	46.0	70.0	61.0	54.0	$18,707
LaGrange High School	Public	9-12	3420 Louisiana Ave	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	Yes	(337) 217-4960	881	93	9.4	78.7%	73 (8.3%)	656 (74.5%)	106 (12.0%)	4 (0.5%)	3 (0.3%)	2 (0.2%)	37 (4.2%)	8.1	303^rd of 329 public high schools	7.9%		11.8	287^th of 329 public high schools	12.8%	16																	30.0	17–27%	43.0	24.0	24.0	33.0	31.0	$22,280
Lake Charles College Prep	Public, Charter	9-12	2801 Power Centre Pkwy	Lake Charles	70607	Calcasieu Parish	Lake Charles College Prep	Yes	No	No	Yes	(337) 419-2868	624	37	17.0	75.2%	9 (1.4%)	549 (88.0%)	31 (5.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (5.6%)	60	125^th of 329 public high schools	62.0%		53.6	159^th of 329 public high schools	51.7%	34																	70.0	55.0	65.0	57.0	66.0	75.0	74.0	$12,876
Alfred M. Barbe High School	Public	9-12	2200 West McNeese	Lake Charles	70605	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4460	1,908	113	16.9	41.0%	991 (51.9%)	518 (27.1%)	216 (11.3%)	106 (5.6%)	9 (0.5%)	4 (0.2%)	64 (3.4%)	72.3	70^th of 329 public high schools	78.7%		73.6	64^th of 329 public high schools	80.5%	6																	79.0	74.0	76.0	60.0	75.0	73.0	74.0	$13,430
Sulphur High School	Public	9-12	100 Sycamore Street	Sulphur	70663	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4430	1,911	137	13.9	43.8%	1,444 (75.6%)	188 (9.8%)	171 (8.9%)	29 (1.5%)	3 (0.2%)	3 (0.2%)	73 (3.8%)	69.3	81^st of 329 public high schools	75.4%		70.9	75^th of 329 public high schools	77.2%	6																	80.0	62.0	76.0	66.0	70.0	73.0	71.0	$15,543
Iowa High School	Public	6-12	401 W Miller Ave	Iowa	70647	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4380	1,007	76	13.3	55.3%	584 (58.0%)	326 (32.4%)	49 (4.9%)	2 (0.2%)	3 (0.3%)	1 (0.1%)	42 (4.2%)	63.7	107^th of 329 public high schools	67.5%		64	113^th of 329 public high schools	65.7%	6	78.0	70.0	57.0	70.0	87.0	77.0	76.0	80.0	58.0	59.0	64.0	61.0	61.0	59.0	70.0	65.0	75.0	61.0	64.0	70.0	65.0	72.0	71.0	$15,958
DeQuincy High School	Public	9-12	207 N Overton	DeQuincy	70633	Calcasieu Parish	Calcasieu Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 217-4530	279	30	9.4	47.0%	214 (76.7%)	50 (17.9%)	6 (2.2%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (2.9%)	50.8	167^th of 329 public high schools	49.2%		62	121^st of 329 public high schools	63.2%	46																	53.0	61.0	66.0	35.0	66.0	59.0	91.0	$19,765
South Beauregard High School	Public	7-12	151 Longville Church Road	Longville	70652	Beauregard Parish	Beauregard Parish	No	No	No	No	(337) 725-3536	775	44	17.8	36.6%	729 (94.1%)	11 (1.4%)	21 (2.7%)	1 (0.1%)	1 (0.1%)	0 (0.0%)	12 (1.5%)	63.4	110^th of 329 public high schools	66.6%		61.8	122^nd of 329 public high schools	62.9%	12		76–81%	49.0	63.0		82.0	71.0	76.0		71.0	70.0	70.0		72.0	61.0	66.0	74–79%	66–71%	62.0	52.0	67.0	82.0	74.0	$14,118

Frequently Asked Questions about Sam Houston High School

Is Sam Houston High School a good school?

Sam Houston High School ranks 43^rd of 329 Louisiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 4 stars out of 5.

What schools feed into Sam Houston High School?

Sam Houston High School is fed by the following schools:

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

What district is Sam Houston High School in?

Calcasieu Parish

How many students attend Sam Houston High School?

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

What is the racial makeup of Sam Houston High School?

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

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Latest Louisiana data All new data »

2025–26 LEAP test scoresJul 6, 2026

2023–24 dropout ratesFeb 24, 2026

2023–24 school spending dataDec 1, 2025

2023–24 through 2024–25 graduation ratesNov 22, 2025

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.