East Baton Rouge Parish Education: 107 American Indian or Alaska Native students were enrolled in 2022-23 school year

Dr. Jenna Chiasson Deputy Superintendent of Teaching and Learning at Louisiana Department of Education | LinkedIn

By Baton Rouge Reporter

Oct 11, 2024

There were 107 American Indian or Alaska Native students enrolled in East Baton Rouge Parish districts in the 2022-23 school year, 5.9% more than the previous year, according to the Louisiana Department of Education.

Data showed that East Baton Rouge Parish districts welcomed 56,552 students during the 2022-23 school year. Among them, American Indian or Alaska Native students comprised 0.2% of the student body to be the second least represented ethnicity in the parish districts.

Among the nine districts in East Baton Rouge Parish, East Baton Rouge Parish School District recorded the highest enrollment of American Indian or Alaska Native students in the 2022-23 school year, with a total of 78 students.

The main offices of all districts mentioned in the story are located in cities associated with East Baton Rouge Parish.

The majority of Louisiana students identified themselves as white and Black, representing 48% and 37% of the state student body respectively during the 2021–22 academic year. Hispanic students made up 8.6% of the student body, and other ethnic minorities made up 5.6%.

However, the teaching staff in Louisiana doesn't fully mirror the student body's demographics, with only 22% of teachers identified as Black or Latino.

Louisiana has recently signed a new law that requires a display of the Ten Commandments in all public schools in the state until the beginning of the upcoming school year. This comes after another religious bill that allows public school districts to hire chaplains to work as mental health professionals and counselors.

Critics argue that these laws violate the First Amendment and a lawsuit has already been filed against the proposal. "The First Amendment promises that we all get to decide for ourselves what religious beliefs, if any, to hold and practice, without pressure from the government", stated the ACLU in the lawsuit.

Ethnicities in East Baton Rouge Parish Districts in 2022-23 School Year

American Indian or Alaska Native Enrollment in East Baton Rouge Parish Districts During 2022-23 School Year

District	% of American Indian or Alaska Native students enrollment	Total enrollment
Office of Juvenile Justice School District	0.9%	227
Louisiana Schools for the Deaf and Visually Impaired	0.8%	132
Special School District	0.6%	154
Southern University Lab School	0.5%	783
Recovery School District - Baton Rouge	0.4%	1,688
East Baton Rouge Parish School District	0.2%	40,510
Zachary Community School District	0.1%	5,605
LSU Laboratory School	0.1%	1,463
Central Community School District	0.1%	4,819