Enrollment
430
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 220120000986
Central Elementary School — Calhoun, LA
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 12
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 78
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: Ouachita 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
22:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
+18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.7%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-20% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central 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
Central Elementary School reports 430 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 22:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 18% 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 38% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 20% below the Louisiana average and 4% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 7167 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 8.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Ouachita Parish spends $13,948 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.3% from local sources (property taxes), 45.6% from the state, and 16.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Central 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 | 22:1 | ▲ 18% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.7% | ▼ 20% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 430 | top 50% | — | — |
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
49.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 20% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
22:1
students per teacher
— 18% above state mean
Top 89% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
8.6%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,948
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
Counselors0.1 FTE
Per 7167 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 430 Top 50% in Louisiana — larger than 50% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 22:1 +18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.7% -20% vs state
NCES ID 220120000986
Student demographics
White 87.4%
African American 5.6%
Two or More 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino 1.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 87.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.1
Students per counselor 7167:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 8.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ouachita Parish, which includes Central Elementary School.
$13,948
Per student
-22%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 38.3%
State 45.6%
Federal 16.1%
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
- 2,041
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
- Enrollment
- 1,112
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 968
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 800
- Students per teacher
- 22.2:1
- Enrollment
- 681
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
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 Central Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 430 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Calhoun, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 22:1, which is 18% higher than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 38% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
49.7% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is White at 87.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in Calhoun, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.