This is an alternative or specialized education program (such as a juvenile-justice, residential, or hospital setting). Standard college-prep measures like SAT participation and AP rigor don't reflect its role.
You've seen Central Southwest Alternative High School. What are your child's real college odds? Check any college in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Match / Likely + your real net price for every college on their list. Check odds →

For Parents

📬

Get alerts when Central Southwest Alternative High School's numbers change

New admissions results, enrollment shifts, test scores — a few alerts a year, no spam. Your email also saves your list across devices.

Objective, government-grade data — no school pays us for placement.

🏛️ Federal Title I context

High-poverty school

Title I Schoolwide eligible

94.6%
FRPL rate — % of students who qualify for the federal Free or Reduced-Price Lunch program. This is the underlying federal income-eligibility signal Title I designations are computed from (ESEA Sec. 1113).
0% (no FRPL) 35% TA · 40% Schoolwide 100% (universal FRPL)

≥75% of students qualify for free/reduced lunch. These schools qualify for the highest tier of federal Title I funding and typically receive extra wraparound services. Academic outcomes vary widely — check the state assessment + grad-rate tiles.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, free/reduced-price lunch eligibility. The actual Title I designation is a district decision and may differ from eligibility — but the federal eligibility math is what we show here. We don't claim to assert whether the district formally chose to enroll this school in Title I.

🏛️ Your state's public flagship

Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College

74%
admit rate
$11,954
in-state tuition/yr · $28,631 out-of-state
1150–1330
SAT 25–75 · ACT 24–29

The in-state tuition gap is the flagship's biggest draw — most in-state families pay far less than the out-of-state sticker. Average net price after aid runs about $19,151/yr. Admission odds depend on your student's GPA and test scores, not which high school they attend.

See the full Louisiana State University and Agricultural & Mechanical College profile → Estimate your odds with your scores →

Source: IPEDS admissions, tuition & enrollment + College Scorecard net price. Flagship = the state's primary public research university.

💰 Pay for college in Louisiana

Louisiana's public scholarships

Louisiana's TOPS pays public-college tuition by merit tier — the higher your core GPA and test score, the bigger the award. No income limit on any tier. Scores below are SAT / ACT.

Merit TOPS Opportunity
Public-college tuition
GPA: 2.50 core GPA Test: SAT 1030 / ACT 20 Income: No income limit

Entry tier — Louisiana public-college tuition for a 2.5 core GPA and SAT 1030 / ACT 20.

Official program details ↗
Merit TOPS Performance
Tuition + $400/yr stipend
GPA: 3.25 core GPA Test: SAT 1130 / ACT 23 Income: No income limit

Tuition plus a $400/yr stipend for a 3.25 core GPA and SAT 1130 / ACT 23.

Official program details ↗
Merit TOPS Honors
Tuition + $800/yr stipend
GPA: 3.50 core GPA Test: SAT 1260 / ACT 27 Income: No income limit

Tuition plus an $800/yr stipend for a 3.5 core GPA and SAT 1260 / ACT 27.

Official program details ↗
Merit TOPS Excellence
Tuition & fees up to $12,000/yr
GPA: 3.50 core GPA Test: SAT 1390 / ACT 31 Income: No income limit

Top tier (new for 2024-25): tuition and fees up to $12,000/yr for a 3.5 core GPA and SAT 1390 / ACT 31. (New top tier (class of 2024-25 onward).)

Official program details ↗
Merit TOPS Tech
Up to 2 years of technical / vocational tuition
GPA: 2.50 core GPA Test: SAT 920 / ACT 17 Income: No income limit

Career-technical tier — up to two years of vocational tuition for a 2.5 core GPA and SAT 920 / ACT 17. (For non-academic / career-technical programs.)

Official program details ↗

Eligibility rules change yearly — confirm with the official program before relying on it. Amounts are recent published figures; awards cover tuition/fees, not housing or books unless noted. Verified 2026-06-14.

Chronic absenteeism

Share of students absent 15+ days
39.3%
Well above the national average (~16%). At this level, chronic absence becomes a leading driver of enrollment loss as families rotate to other schools.
Students absent 15+ days
22
Federal definition: absent (excused or unexcused) for at least 15 of ~180 school days — about 10% of the school year.

Why this matters to enrollment: Chronic absence is the most reliable early indicator that a student will leave a school — either by transferring out, dropping out, or matriculating to a charter or private alternative. At this level, today's absentees become next year's enrollment loss and the year-after's revenue loss.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020–2021. Rate = students chronically absent ÷ 2024 total enrollment.

Counselor capacity

Student : Counselor
56:1
Below the ASCA 250:1 recommendation — strong capacity for college planning, course selection, and student supports.
Counselor FTE
1.0
Full-time-equivalent school counselors on staff.
Teacher FTE
8
Full-time-equivalent classroom teachers.

Source: U.S. Department of Education, Civil Rights Data Collection 2020-2021. Counselor ratio = the school's most recent total enrollment ÷ counselor FTE. The American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommends a 250:1 maximum; the US national median across schools with on-staff counselors is roughly 430:1.

Enrollment trend & projection

Total enrollment + grade 12, NCES Common Core of Data (2021–2024).

If the recent trend holds…

At its recent rate of -3.8%/year, projecting from 2024's 56 students:

2025
54
2027
50
2029
46

A small or specialty program — naive trend math doesn't capture the school's full picture. Read the trend as directional, not predictive.

An extrapolation of the recent trajectory, not a forecast of the school's plans; ignores one-off shocks.

Most similar nearby high schools

The schools most like this one — same type, blended on distance and size — and where their enrollment is heading. These are the schools families here weigh against each other.

SchoolTypeMilesHS enrollmentTrend
Rapides Training Academy
Alexandria
Public 28.2 48
JCFA Lafayette
Lafayette
Public · charter 49.8 56 -11.1%
LA School for Ag Science
Bunkie
Public · charter 5.0 263 +3.5%
North Central High School
Washington
Public 18.0 153 -12.6%
Washington Career & Technical Education Center
Washington
Public 23.6
Pinecrest Supports & Services Center
Pineville
Public 32.5 84 +16.7%
Avoyelles Public Charter School
Mansura
Public · charter 12.0 244 +11.4%
JS Clark Leadership Academy
Opelousas
Public · charter 27.4 135 +33.7%

For Parents

Researching colleges for your kid at Central Southwest Alternative High School?

Check any college's odds in 10 seconds — no email needed — then get the free Family Decision Report: Reach / Match / Likely with real admit odds and your real net price, for every college on their list.

Check your child's odds →
🎯 What are your child's odds? →