Ponchatoula High School

Summary:

Ponchatoula High School is a public high school in Ponchatoula, Louisiana, serving 2,262 students in grades 9-12. The school is part of the Tangipahoa Parish school district, which is ranked 91 out of 122 districts in Louisiana and has a 1-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Ponchatoula High School has a diverse student population, with around 55% White, 30% African American, and 7-8% Hispanic students. The school generally performs better than the Tangipahoa Parish average on end-of-course exams, particularly in English II and English I, with 60% of Ponchatoula students proficient or better in English II compared to 55% for the district. However, the school has seen a significant increase in the percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, rising from 29.17% in 2021-2022 to 50.57% in 2022-2023, suggesting an increasing proportion of economically disadvantaged students. Ponchatoula High School also has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 21.7 to 23.1 over the past 3 years, higher than nearby schools like Independence High Magnet (16.1) and Loranger High School (18.3).

While Ponchatoula High School outperforms some nearby schools in the Tangipahoa Parish district, it lags behind the higher-performing schools in the St. Tammany Parish district, such as Mandeville High School and Covington High School. Additionally, Ponchatoula High School's statewide ranking has declined over the past several years, from a high of 135 out of 302 Louisiana high schools in 2017-2018 to a current ranking of 203 out of 333 in 2023-2024, suggesting the need for continued improvement efforts to better serve its diverse student population.


Detail:

Public 9-12

 19452 Highway 22 East
       Ponchatoula, LA  70454


(985) 386-3514

District: Tangipahoa Parish

SchoolDigger Rank:
203rd of 333 Louisiana High Schools

Per Pupil Expenditures:  $10,561 Help


Student/teacher ratio:  19.7 Help
Number of students:  2,254

Racial breakdown:

White:
53.5%
African American:
31.9%
Hispanic:
8.2%
more

Free/discounted lunch recipients:  51% Help


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 Compare Ponchatoula High School to nearby high schools!

Performance Trends
Help
Compare Details Ponchatoula High School ranks worse than 61% of high schools in Louisiana. It also ranks first among 7 ranked high schools in the Tangipahoa Parish School District! (See more...)
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Compare Details In 2024 the calculated Average Standard Score was 41.83. (See more...)
Student Body
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Compare Details Ponchatoula High School has the largest high school student body size in the Tangipahoa Parish School District. Racial makeup is: White (53.5%), African American (31.9%), Hispanic (8.2%). (See more...)
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Compare Details 51% of students are receiving a free or discounted lunch. This is the lowest percentage in the Tangipahoa Parish School District. (See more...)
Teachers
Help
Compare Details The student/teacher ratio at Ponchatoula High School is 19.7. 5 high schools in the Tangipahoa Parish School District have better student/teacher ratios. (See more...)
Help
Compare Ponchatoula High School employs 114.1 full-time teachers.
Finance
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Compare Details The average total spent per student at Ponchatoula High School is $10,561, which is the lowest among 7 high schools in the Tangipahoa Parish School District!
Schooldigger 2024 Rankings:

Ponchatoula High School:

SchoolDigger ranks Ponchatoula High School 203rd of 333 Louisiana public high schools. (See Ponchatoula High School in the ranking list.)

High School Test Score Ratings by Student Subgroup:


Multi-racial students:
English Language Learner students:
Special Education students:
Low Socio Economic Status students:
Female students:
Male students:
African American students:
Hispanic students:
White students:


Tangipahoa Parish:

SchoolDigger ranks Tangipahoa Parish 91st of 122 Louisiana school districts. (See district ranking list.)


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Rank History for Ponchatoula High School

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Rank History for all students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2007 75.37 55th 290 81.0%
2008 67.17 88th 291 69.8%
2009 56.13 139th 301 53.8%
2010 71.75 63rd 297 78.8%
2011 66.14 107th 300 64.3%
2012 65.67 109th 310 64.8%
2013 53.95 173rd 312 44.6%
2014 58.12 141st 309 54.4%
2015 60.47 142nd 312 54.5%
2016 56.23 150th 297 49.5%
2017 61.95 138th 297 53.5%
2018 55.58 135th 302 55.3%
2019 42.64 190th 313 39.3%
2021 37.40 205th 322 36.3%
2022 46.09 183rd 326 43.9%
2023 41.39 197th 321 38.6%
2024 41.83 203rd 333 39.0%
See the entire list of Louisiana High School Rankings!

Rank History for Multi-racial students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 28.55 26th 30 13.3%
2021 27.18 34th 39 12.8%
2022 22.09 43rd 47 8.5%
2023 24.91 44th 50 12.0%
2024 13.22 59th 63 6.3%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for Multi-racial Students!

Rank History for English Language Learner students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2021 55.15 14th 38 63.2%
2022 33.20 30th 40 25.0%
2023 13.85 34th 34 0.0%
2024 26.15 40th 50 20.0%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for English Language Learner Students!

Rank History for Special Education students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 30.83 79th 122 35.2%
2021 28.86 91st 135 32.6%
2022 42.02 72nd 139 48.2%
2024 27.09 124th 165 24.8%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for Special Education Students!

Rank History for Low Socio Economic Status students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 33.59 207th 301 31.2%
2021 28.60 210th 285 26.3%
2022 33.40 220th 322 31.7%
2023 31.32 227th 321 29.3%
2024 29.75 235th 328 28.4%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for Low Socio Economic Status Students!

Rank History for Female students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 40.65 191st 292 34.6%
2021 42.16 177th 288 38.5%
2022 45.11 181st 311 41.8%
2023 40.06 196th 308 36.4%
2024 45.19 182nd 308 40.9%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for Female Students!

Rank History for Male students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 43.58 174th 291 40.2%
2021 33.76 206th 292 29.5%
2022 45.25 163rd 301 45.8%
2023 40.71 186th 306 39.2%
2024 38.90 197th 315 37.5%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for Male Students!

Rank History for African American students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 29.82 171st 233 26.6%
2021 33.87 160th 243 34.2%
2022 32.97 170th 256 33.6%
2023 34.65 163rd 252 35.3%
2024 34.86 169th 260 35.0%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for African American Students!

Rank History for Hispanic students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 32.06 57th 78 26.9%
2021 29.82 65th 92 29.3%
2022 27.13 82nd 103 20.4%
2023 21.24 91st 107 15.0%
2024 22.82 94th 113 16.8%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for Hispanic Students!

Rank History for White students at Ponchatoula High School

Year Avg Standard Score Statewide Rank Total # Ranked High Schools LA State Percentile SchoolDigger Rating
2019 35.85 181st 249 27.3%
2021 25.67 205th 245 16.3%
2022 45.53 150th 250 40.0%
2023 35.83 179th 249 28.1%
2024 36.87 174th 248 29.8%
See the entire list of Best Louisiana High Schools for White Students!

Data source: test scores: Louisiana Dept of Education, rankings: SchoolDigger.com

As you review the school rankings data, please be aware that some of the information from certain demographics is missing. The reason for this omission is that the data has been redacted from the source data itself due to low population samples in these specific demographic groups.

Redacting data from low population samples is a necessary step to ensure the reliability and accuracy of the results, as small sample sizes may not be representative of the broader population. Additionally, this measure helps protect the privacy of individuals belonging to these demographic groups.

Ponchatoula High School Test Scores
Tests: 
  
Grades: 
  
Years: 
  
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District Scores:
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Data source: Louisiana Dept of Education

Review counts

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100%

  

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Enrollment information for Ponchatoula High School

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Year White African American Asian Hispanic American Indian Pacific Islander Two or More Races Not Specified Total
1989 n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 1190 1190
1990 854 143 0 6 0 n/a n/a 0 1003
1991 909 150 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 1061
1992 940 173 0 3 0 n/a n/a 0 1116
1993 1003 197 0 2 0 n/a n/a 0 1202
1994 1050 209 1 3 1 n/a n/a 0 1264
1995 1126 223 2 5 3 n/a n/a 0 1359
1996 1126 223 2 5 3 n/a n/a 0 1359
1997 1178 224 3 5 0 n/a n/a 0 1410
1998 1258 226 4 4 0 n/a n/a 0 1492
1999 1263 248 4 4 0 n/a n/a 0 1519
2000 1308 249 7 6 0 n/a n/a 0 1570
2001 1273 204 9 6 1 n/a n/a 0 1493
2002 1233 192 13 12 0 n/a n/a 0 1450
2003 1233 192 13 12 0 n/a n/a 0 1450
2004 1208 210 7 9 2 n/a n/a 0 1436
2005 1220 219 10 12 3 n/a n/a 0 1464
2006 1250 229 8 11 3 n/a n/a 0 1501
2007 1278 264 5 16 2 n/a n/a 0 1565
2008 1295 251 9 20 2 n/a n/a 0 1577
2009 1263 248 10 19 5 n/a n/a 0 1545
2010 1299 291 9 22 5 n/a n/a 0 1626
2011 1309 334 13 23 7 0 8 0 1694
2012 1263 411 11 32 3 0 8 0 1728
2013 1254 464 17 35 2 0 6 0 1778
2014 1224 483 17 36 2 0 5 0 1767
2015 1197 485 16 40 0 1 6 0 1745
2016 1205 447 14 44 1 1 9 0 1721
2017 1162 477 10 59 0 0 94 0 1802
2018 1135 495 12 61 0 0 91 0 1794
2019 1177 518 15 74 0 1 89 0 1874
2020 1151 542 10 88 0 0 101 0 1892
2021 1176 571 10 107 1 4 107 0 1976
2022 1196 643 13 137 1 3 122 0 2115
2023 1222 709 13 179 2 4 133 0 2262
2024 1205 718 14 184 5 5 123 0 2254

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Enrollment/Ethnicity

For more information about how the Department of Education defines ethnicity, see Defining Race and Ethnicity Data, National Center for Education Statistics

Students eligible for free or discounted lunch at Ponchatoula High School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 1190 65.0 18.3 51.6
1990 1003 62.0 16.1 19.7
1991 1061 63.0 16.8 19.5
1992 1116 60.0 18.6 21.3
1993 1202 61.0 19.7 19.9
1994 1264 67.0 18.9 21
1995 1359 67.0 20.3 25.8
1996 1359 67.0 20.3 25.8
1997 1410 71.0 19.9 30.4
1998 1492 76.0 19.6 22.1
1999 1519 80.0 19.0 30.8
2000 1570 80.0 19.6 29
2001 1493 80.0 18.7 30.8
2002 1450 76.5 19.0 33
2003 1450 76.5 19.0 33
2004 1436 74.1 19.4 30.4
2005 1464 75.8 19.3 33.3
2006 1501 76.0 19.8 37.8
2007 1565 78.3 20.0 36.8
2008 1577 81.8 19.3 34.1
2009 1545 82.0 18.8 41.6
2010 1626 87.1 18.6 39.1
2011 1694 91.9 18.4 41.1
2012 1728 89.0 19.4 45.9
2013 1778 91.0 19.5 48.8
2014 1767 94.9 18.6 51.6
2015 1745 94.0 18.5 54.2
2016 1721 113.0 15.2 51.8
2017 1802 121.2 14.8 60
2018 1794 84.4 21.2 26.4
2019 1874 85.4 21.9 29.6
2020 1892 84.3 22.4 34.4
2021 1976 87.2 22.6 31.7
2022 2115 91.1 23.1 29.2
2023 2262 104.2 21.7 50.6
2024 2254 114.1 19.7 51

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Students eligible for discounted/free lunch:

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) provides low-cost or free meals to students in U.S. public and nonprofit private schools based on household income. Those with incomes below 130% of the poverty line receive free lunch, while those between 130% and 185% qualify for reduced-price lunch. The percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch serves as a marker for poverty, as it reflects the socioeconomic status of families in a given school or district. A higher FRPL rate typically indicates a higher concentration of low-income families, suggesting that the school or district may face additional challenges in providing adequate resources and support for student success.

Student/Teacher Ratio Ponchatoula High School

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Year # Students Full-time Teachers Student/Teacher ratio % Free/Discounted Lunch
1989 1190 65.0 18.3 51.6
1990 1003 62.0 16.1 19.7
1991 1061 63.0 16.8 19.5
1992 1116 60.0 18.6 21.3
1993 1202 61.0 19.7 19.9
1994 1264 67.0 18.9 21
1995 1359 67.0 20.3 25.8
1996 1359 67.0 20.3 25.8
1997 1410 71.0 19.9 30.4
1998 1492 76.0 19.6 22.1
1999 1519 80.0 19.0 30.8
2000 1570 80.0 19.6 29
2001 1493 80.0 18.7 30.8
2002 1450 76.5 19.0 33
2003 1450 76.5 19.0 33
2004 1436 74.1 19.4 30.4
2005 1464 75.8 19.3 33.3
2006 1501 76.0 19.8 37.8
2007 1565 78.3 20.0 36.8
2008 1577 81.8 19.3 34.1
2009 1545 82.0 18.8 41.6
2010 1626 87.1 18.6 39.1
2011 1694 91.9 18.4 41.1
2012 1728 89.0 19.4 45.9
2013 1778 91.0 19.5 48.8
2014 1767 94.9 18.6 51.6
2015 1745 94.0 18.5 54.2
2016 1721 113.0 15.2 51.8
2017 1802 121.2 14.8 60
2018 1794 84.4 21.2 26.4
2019 1874 85.4 21.9 29.6
2020 1892 84.3 22.4 34.4
2021 1976 87.2 22.6 31.7
2022 2115 91.1 23.1 29.2
2023 2262 104.2 21.7 50.6
2024 2254 114.1 19.7 51

Data source: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Dept of Education.

About Student-Teacher Ratio

Student/teacher ratio is calculated by dividing the total number of students by the total number of full-time equivalent teachers. Please note that a smaller student/teacher ratio does not necessarily translate to smaller class size. In some instances, schools hire teachers part time, and some teachers are hired for specialized instruction with very small class sizes. These and other factors contribute to the student/teacher ratio. Note: For private schools, Student/teacher ratio may not include Pre-Kindergarten.
Finances

Per Pupil Expenditures for Ponchatoula High School

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YearTotal Expenditures Per Pupil
2017 $8,938
2018 $9,211
2019 $8,941
2020 $9,084
2021 $9,455
2022 $10,561

Data source: Louisiana Department of Education
Pre and Post Pandemic Data

Impact of COVID-19 on Ponchatoula High School

The coronavirus has had a profound impact on education in America. Learning shifted online overnight, attendance numbers dwindled, and enrollment decreased. SchoolDigger.com is making it easier for you to better assess how COVID-19 has impacted your school. Through the collection of pre-pandemic (2019) and current data, SchoolDigger.com is sharing test scores, enrollment numbers and school demographics from schools across the country – and we make it easy to see how impacted schools compare locally and statewide.

Rankings

Rank
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Rank
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Ranks 190th of 313 High schoolsRanks 197th of 321 High schools
 0.7%

Test Scores

% proficient
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
% proficient
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
End of Course Algebra I (Ponchatoula High School)5652
 4%
   End of Course Algebra I (Tangipahoa Parish)4946
 3%
   End of Course Algebra I (Louisiana)6764
 3%
End of Course Geometry (Ponchatoula High School)6856
 12%
   End of Course Geometry (Tangipahoa Parish)5444
 10%
   End of Course Geometry (Louisiana)6861
 7%
End of Course English II (Ponchatoula High School)6776
 9%
   End of Course English II (Tangipahoa Parish)5860
 2%
   End of Course English II (Louisiana)6967
 2%
End of Course U.S. History (Ponchatoula High School)4839
 9%
   End of Course U.S. History (Tangipahoa Parish)4235
 7%
   End of Course U.S. History (Louisiana)5954
 5%
End of Course English I (Ponchatoula High School)6757
 10%
   End of Course English I (Tangipahoa Parish)5555
   End of Course English I (Louisiana)7167
 4%

Student Body

Number of students
Pre-pandemic (2018-2019)
Number of students
Post pandemic (2022-2023)
Change (%)
Total Students18742262
 20.7%
African American518709
 36.9%
American Indian02
Asian1513
 13.3%
Hispanic74179
 141.9%
Pacific Islander14
 300%
White11771222
 3.8%
Two or More Races89133
 49.4%
% Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients29.6%50.6%
 21%


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Frequently Asked Questions about Ponchatoula High School

Ponchatoula High School ranks 203rd of 333 Louisiana high schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Students at Ponchatoula High School are 53% White, 32% African American, 8% Hispanic, 5% Two or more races.

In the 2023-24 school year, 2,254 students attended Ponchatoula High 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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