Rapides Parish operates 47 public schools serving 22,991 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Louisiana. The school portfolio breaks down into 34 other, 6 high, 4 middle, 3 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 21,759 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Rapides Parish County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,229 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 38.9% local, 43.2% state, and 17.9% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $74,155 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 42/100, ranked #113 of 176 in Louisiana against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 6 of 47 schools offering Advanced Placement (46 AP courses district-wide), a 455.8:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 27.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 45.1% White, 44.0% African American, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Rapides Parish school enrollment varies 23× across entities
Rapides Parish school enrollment ranges from 64 students (lowest) to 1,475 students (highest), a spread of 1,411 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Rapides Parish has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 74.5% 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.
Rapides Parish student-counselor ratio is 456:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Rapides Parish chronic absenteeism rate is 27.5% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within Rapides Parish is typically wider than the Rapides Parish-aggregate figure suggests.
Rapides Parish has 47 schools, including 6 high, 34 other, 4 middle, 3 elementary. Total enrollment is 22,991 students.
How much does Rapides Parish spend per student?
Rapides Parish spends $14,229 per student. The district has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #113 in Louisiana.
What is the average teacher salary in Rapides Parish?
The average teacher salary in Rapides Parish is $74,155 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near Rapides Parish?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Rapides Parish County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of Rapides Parish?
Rapides Parish students are 45.1% White, 44.0% African American, 6.0% Hispanic or Latino, 0.9% Asian, averaged across 47 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Rapides Parish?
Rapides Parish has an equity score of 42/100, ranking #113 out of 176 districts in Louisiana. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.