The Calcasieu Parish School Board is experiencing an enrollment increase for the 2023-2024 school year, marking the second consecutive year the number of K-12 students in the district is on the rise.

Following the natural disasters of the 2020-2021 school year, seeing students return to the district is a promising sign for Southwest Louisiana, said Superintendent Shannon LaFargue.

“We are thrilled with the early numbers being reported this year from our schools,” LaFargue said. “Our students are coming home to our community and our classrooms. We knew recovering from all that we endured would be challenging, so we are ecstatic to see these positive developments not just for our district but for all of Southwest Louisiana.”

The early enrollment count for the year indicates that 27,000 K-12 students are enrolled in the public schools in Calcasieu, marking an increase over the last two years and an increase over enrollment numbers from the end of last school year.

In August of 2022, there were 26,581 students were enrolled in the school system; that number was 25,400 in August of 2021.

The schools reporting the largest growth numbers over the end of last year included Barbe High School with an additional 133 students; Sulphur High with 60 students; Nelson Elementary with 54 students; Combre-Fondel Elementary with 51 students; St. John Elementary with 49 students; and Westlake High with an additional 48 students.