9 public K-12 schools in Ruston from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
9 public schools ranked by quality score. NCES CCD 2024-25 data.
The highest-ranked of Ruston's 9 public schools is Ruston High School, scoring 56/100, against a city average of 45.8/100. Computed live across every Ruston campus reporting to NCES.
How the Ruston Public-School Landscape Breaks Down
Ruston, LA enrolls 4,053 students across 9 public schools reporting to the National Center for Education Statistics. The average student-teacher ratio across the city is 23.8:1, and the composite quality score, derived from student-teacher ratio, counselor access, gifted-program availability, and CRDC attendance data, averages 45.8/100. Schools must report at least five campuses in a city to appear in this listing, which is why very small towns may redirect to the broader county or state view.
The most-resourced campus in Ruston on this index is Ruston High School, at 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index with 1,212 enrolled students. What the index does and doesn't measure; click any school below for its full component breakdown.
Ruston spans 2 districts, each filing its own NCES F-33 return, per-pupil spending can vary between neighbouring campuses. Sort the table below by enrollment, level, or district; click any school for its full profile.
Ruston High School accounts for 29.9% of all Ruston public-school enrollment
That dominant concentration means Ruston-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade level: High. A dominant campus often anchors a city's program landscape and absorbs a disproportionate share of district capital and staffing decisions. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
Ruston school enrollment varies 16× across entities
Ruston school enrollment ranges from 75 students (lowest) to 1,212 students (highest), a spread of 1,137 students. That spread reflects typical urban portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing, programme depth, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same city based on enrollment shape, a 200-student magnet runs a different operational model than a 2,000-student comprehensive high school.
Ruston has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 56.0% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
Ruston student-teacher ratio is 23.8:1 — high (typically associated with larger urban scale or staffing constraints that have widened the headcount gap)
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Ruston
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
The highest-ranked school in Ruston is Ruston High School with a quality score of 56/100. There are 9 public schools in Ruston with 4,053 total students.
How many schools are in Ruston, LA? ▼
Ruston has 9 public schools with a total enrollment of 4,053 students. Average student-teacher ratio: 23.8:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. Quality scores based on student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance. Schools must have 5+ in the city to be listed.
Disclaimer: This information is provided for informational purposes only and does not constitute professional advice. Data is sourced from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD). Consult a qualified professional before making decisions based on this data.
Read our methodology, which explains how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
