Enrollment
504
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cankton, LA
Cankton Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cankton Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220156001174
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cankton Elementary School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Louisiana schools.
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 72.9%
- free-lunch eligible
- 504
- students enrolled
Cankton Elementary School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Landry Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220156001174 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
72.9%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cankton Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cankton Elementary School
Cankton Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cankton, Louisiana, enrolling 504 students.
At 16.3:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Louisiana median, within a few percentage points of the 16.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 72.9% of students eligible for free meals.
With 504 students, its enrollment sits close to the Louisiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 388 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #62.
Its student body is led by African American (45%) and White (36%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).
14.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 27.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
St. Landry Parish also operates Beau Chene High School (767 students) and Opelousas Senior High School (698 students) alongside Cankton Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Cankton Elementary School compares
Cankton Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Louisiana and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Louisiana | Louisiana avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.3:1 | ▼ 3% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 72.9% | ▲ 17% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 504 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
504
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
72.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% above the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 49% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,050
per pupil, district-wide
- below Louisiana avg of $16,376
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 19 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
African American 44.8%
White 36.1%
Hispanic or Latino 14.7%
Two or More 4.4%
Largest group: African American at 44.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 64.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 64.5, Cankton Elementary School is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Landry Parish, which includes Cankton Elementary School.
$14,050
Per student
-14%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.6%
State 44.1%
Federal 27.3%
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.
How Cankton Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau Chene High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Opelousas Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Leonville Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Eunice High School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwest High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cankton Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Louisiana, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~504 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cankton Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cankton Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Landry Parish's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Cankton Elementary School
How many students attend Cankton Elementary School?
Cankton Elementary School has 504 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cankton, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cankton Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cankton Elementary School is 16.3:1, which is 3% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cankton Elementary School?
72.9% of students at Cankton Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cankton Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cankton Elementary School is African American at 44.8% of enrollment, in Cankton, LA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 64.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cankton Elementary School?
Cankton Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Cankton Elementary School a good school?
Cankton Elementary School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Louisiana schools. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in St. Landry Parish?
Besides Cankton Elementary School, St. Landry Parish also operates Beau Chene High School (767 students), Opelousas Senior High School (698 students), and Leonville Elementary School (616 students). See the St. Landry Parish district page for the complete list.
Related tools
Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.