Enrollment
595
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 220027000116
Benton Elementary School — Benton, LA
Federal NCES profile for Benton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 23/100.
👥 Class size 22
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 2
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Bossier Parish · Louisiana
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.6:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
38.1%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Benton Elementary School reports 595 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 19.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% above the Louisiana state mean of 18.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 23% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 38.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 39% below the Louisiana average and 26% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 595 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 39.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bossier Parish spends $14,538 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 43.0% from local sources (property taxes), 39.2% from the state, and 17.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Benton Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Louisiana state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19.6:1 | ▲ 5% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 38.1% | ▼ 39% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 595 | top 73% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
38.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 39% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
19.6:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 73% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
39.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,538
per pupil, district-wide
— below Louisiana avg of $17,870
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 595 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 595 Top 73% in Louisiana — larger than 27% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 19.6:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 38.1% -39% vs state
NCES ID 220027000116
Student demographics
White 71.8%
African American 15.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.1%
Two or More 4.7%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 71.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 595:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 39.2%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bossier Parish, which includes Benton Elementary School.
$14,538
Per student
-19%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-25%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 43.0%
State 39.2%
Federal 17.8%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,855
- Students per teacher
- 20.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,515
- Students per teacher
- 20.5:1
- Enrollment
- 1,360
- Students per teacher
- 21.2:1
- Enrollment
- 1,279
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
- Enrollment
- 993
- Students per teacher
- 21.9:1
Similar elementary schools in Benton
2 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Benton Elementary School
How many students attend Benton Elementary School?
Benton Elementary School has 595 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Benton, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton Elementary School is 19.6:1, which is 5% higher than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benton Elementary School?
38.1% of students at Benton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Benton Elementary School is White at 71.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in Benton, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton Elementary School?
Benton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 23/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.