Calcasieu Parish School System

What Calcasieu Parish School System does

The Calcasieu Parish Sales and Use Tax Office is an operating department of the Calcasieu Parish School Board, a political subdivision of the State of Louisiana headquartered at 3310 Broad Street in Lake Charles. The office administers consolidated sales and use tax collection across Calcasieu Parish, serving as the single statutory tax collection authority for eight municipalities — City of Lake Charles, City of Sulphur, City of DeQuincy, City of Westlake, Town of Iowa, Town of Vinton, unincorporated areas, and Ward One (Moss Bluff, Gillis, Topsy) — along with Police Jury Sales Tax Districts #1 and #4A, multiple law enforcement districts, and several Economic Development Districts including Hope EDD, Opelram EDD, Executive EDD, and the new Westlake Opportunity Zone District effective January 1, 2025. Tax rates vary by jurisdiction from 4.25% to 7.75%, with additional 2.00% increments applied in designated EDDs.

Tax administration is delivered through three channels: in-person service at 2439 6th Street in Lake Charles during business hours, an online filing portal supporting ACH credit electronic payments and an address-based rate lookup tool (salestaxportal.com), and paper returns submitted by mail. The office also runs a free Sales Tax 101 training program for new business owners and a vendor compensation program that rewards timely filing. Collected revenues are distributed to the Parish School Board (2.50%), municipalities at varying municipal rates, the Calcasieu Parish Police Jury (Districts #1 and #4A), and law enforcement and Economic Development Districts, funding public education, infrastructure, public safety, and economic development across the parish.

The parent Calcasieu Parish School System operates more than 70 elementary, middle, and high schools across the parish, funded through the 2.50% parish school board portion collected by this office, alongside property taxes, state education allocations, and federal grants. Academic offerings include Career and Technical Education Centers, the Region 5 STEM Center, Special Education services, Alternative Programs (CPAS, Boys Village, Harbour House, Hospital Homebound, Simon Youth Foundation Education Center), and the CPSB Technology Training Center. Governance rests with an elected School Board under the administration of a Superintendent, with no private ownership, parent company, or external funding rounds.

Name

Calcasieu Parish School System

Legal name

Calcasieu Parish School Board

Website

https://calcasieusalestax.org

Company type

Private

Operating status

Operating

Short description

The Calcasieu Parish Sales and Use Tax Office, a department of the Calcasieu Parish School Board, administers consolidated sales and use tax collection for eight municipalities and multiple special districts across Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, distributing revenues to the Parish School Board, municipalities, and other taxing authorities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Public K-12 Education

NAICS

Elementary and Secondary Schools (6111), Administration of Education Programs (923110)

SIC

Services-Educational Services (8200)

akta.pro primary industry

Public School Districts (K–12) (EDADABAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

District Finance, Budgeting & Procurement Offices (EDADABAG), District Student Services Administration (Special Ed, Counseling, Health) (EDADABAJ), Attendance, Truancy & Enrollment Compliance (EDAJAHAC), Food Safety, Sanitation & HACCP Programs (Training, Audits, Inspections) (EDAEAEAJ), K–12 SIS & District Administration Platforms (EDAFAEAA)

Keywords

• Public K-12 education
• School district operations
• Sales tax administration
• Special education services
• Career technical education

Headquarters

HQ city

Lake Charles

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Sales and Use Tax Collection: The organization collects sales and use taxes from dealers operating within Calcasieu Parish and distributes revenues to various taxing authorities including the Parish School Board (2.50%), municipalities, law enforcement districts, and economic development districts. Revenue flows through tax collection rather than direct revenue generation.

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels1 record

Core offering

Calcasieu Parish School System is a public K-12 school district that operates over 70 elementary, middle, and high schools across Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, providing educational services to students in Lake Charles, Sulphur, DeQuincy, Westlake, Iowa, Vinton, and surrounding communities. Through its Sales and Use Tax Office, the system also administers consolidated sales and use tax collection for all municipalities and special districts within the parish, providing tax rate lookup, online filing, vendor compliance support, and revenue distribution to taxing authorities.

Product overview

Calcasieu Parish School System operates as a public school district providing educational services to students in Lake Charles and surrounding areas. The system offers sales and use tax administration services through its Sales and Use Tax department. The district maintains various academic programs including Career & Technical Education Centers, Advanced Studies/Gifted programs, Region 5 STEM Center, Special Education services, and Library Services. Technology support is provided through the Technology department with initiatives including CPSB Technology Training Center, Makerspace Experience, TechCon, and Tech Camp.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Public K-12 Education Services Full-time public K-12 education delivered through over 70 elementary, middle, and high schools across Calcasieu Parish, Louisiana, for students residing in Lake Charles, Sulphur, DeQuincy, Westlake, Iowa, Vinton, and surrounding communities. Includes core academic instruction plus specialized programs.
• Sales and Use Tax Collection Services Administers sales and use tax collection for Calcasieu Parish on behalf of multiple jurisdictions including Lake Charles, Sulphur, DeQuincy, Westlake, Iowa, Vinton, Police Jury Sales Tax Districts, Economic Development Districts, and the Parish School Board. Provides tax rate lookup, online filing resources, vendor compliance support, and free Sales Tax 101 training for new business owners.
• Career and Technical Education Programs Career and technical education programs offered at the College Street and Westlake Centers for high school students in Calcasieu Parish, providing vocational and technical skills training.
• Special Education Services Special education services provided through the Department of Special Services for students with disabilities and learning needs across Calcasieu Parish schools.
• Alternative Education Programs Alternative education programs operated by the Department of Alternative Programs, including CPAS, Boys Village, Harbour House, Hospital Homebound, Methodist Childrens Home, School Age Mothers, and the Simon Youth Foundation Education Center, for students needing non-traditional educational settings.
• Region 5 STEM Center Programs STEM education programs serving Region 5 of Louisiana, providing science, technology, engineering, and mathematics enrichment opportunities for students in the region.
• School Nutrition Program School nutrition and food services providing meals to students across Calcasieu Parish schools, including meal menus accessible to parents and students.
• Student Transportation Services Student transportation services operated by the Transportation Department to bus students to and from schools across Calcasieu Parish.
• Advanced Studies and Gifted Programs Advanced Studies and Gifted programs for high-achieving students, including Advanced Placement (AP) courses, gifted education, and Talented Visual Arts instruction across Calcasieu Parish schools.

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• City of Lake CharlescoreOthersThe Sales Tax Office collects and distributes a 2.25% city tax for Lake Charles along with the Parish School Board portion (2.50%). Total city sales tax rate is 5.75%.
• City of SulphurcoreOthersCollects and distributes city sales tax (2.50%) for Sulphur. Also includes special Economic Development Districts (Hope EDD, Opelram EDD, Executive EDD) with additional 2% increments.
• City of DeQuincycoreOthersCollects and distributes city sales tax (2.50%) for DeQuincy as part of the parish-wide tax collection service.
• City of WestlakecoreOthersCollects and distributes city sales tax (2.50%) for Westlake. Also includes Westlake Opportunity Zone District with rate increase effective January 1, 2025.
• Town of IowacoreOthersCollects and distributes town sales tax (2.50%) for Iowa as part of the parish-wide tax collection service.
• Town of VintoncoreOthersCollects and distributes town sales tax (2.50%) for Vinton as part of the parish-wide tax collection service.
• Calcasieu Parish Police JurycoreOthersCollects and distributes Police Jury Sales Tax District #1 (1.00%) and District #4A (1.50%) for unincorporated areas of the parish.
• Louisiana Department of RevenuecoreTechnology or IntegrationState agency partner for resale exemption certificates (now issued by LA DOR instead of local office since November 2009). Also handles state tax rate inquiries and coordinates on state/local tax administration.
• Southwest Louisiana Convention & Visitors BureauminorOthersPartner organization for hotel/motel tax collection. The Sales Tax Office collects occupancy taxes on behalf of this tourism promotion entity.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Jefferson Parish Public School System: Another large Louisiana parish school district with similar consolidated tax collection responsibilities and a multi-municipality service area. Operates a comparable scale of schools and shares the same Louisiana state funding formula as Calcasieu.
• East Baton Rouge Parish School System: Louisiana parish school district of similar scale serving a mid-sized urban-suburban area. Operates a parallel mix of academic, CTE, and alternative programs and is governed by the same state education code.
• Caddo Parish School Board: Northwest Louisiana parish school district with comparable enrollment scale and a consolidated tax collection function. Faces similar state-allocated funding dynamics and shares the Sales/Use Tax administration model.
• St. Tammany Parish Public Schools: High-growth Louisiana parish school district operating under the same state funding framework, with comparable municipal tax collection responsibilities and a similar mix of suburban/elementary-secondary school types.
• Lafayette Parish School System: South Louisiana parish school district of comparable size, governed by the same Louisiana education code and operating a parallel Sales and Use Tax collection function for multiple municipalities.

Broad incumbents

• Calcasieu Parish Police Jury: The parish-level governing authority that also receives tax distributions via the Sales Tax Office. Acts as a co-stakeholder in parish-wide tax collection and public service delivery, with broader governmental scope than the school system.
• Louisiana Department of Education: State-level agency that administers the funding formula, accountability system, and policy framework under which Calcasieu Parish School System operates. Sets the regulatory ceiling for district operations.

Others

• PowerSchool: K-12 Student Information System vendor whose platform category (SIS) is the underlying technology for the district's JCampus and student progress tools. Comparable as the technology enablement layer for K-12 administration.
• Louisiana Uniform Local Sales Tax Board: State-affiliated body that operates the sales tax rate lookup portal referenced by Calcasieu's Sales Tax Office. Represents the centralized state-level infrastructure that governs local sales tax administration in Louisiana.

Regional players

• Rapides Parish School Board: Central Louisiana parish school district of comparable scale with separate geographic service area. Operates under the same Louisiana state framework but does not overlap with Calcasieu's territory.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/CPSBschools
• Facebookfacebook.com/CPSBschools
• Instagraminstagram.com/cpsbschools

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Subsidiaries8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Calcasieu Parish School System