Enrollment
306
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Reserve, LA
Fifth Ward Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Fifth Ward Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220153002003
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 25
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fifth Ward Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of Louisiana schools.
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 41.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 306
- students enrolled
Fifth Ward Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 79% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. John the Baptist Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220153002003 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fifth Ward Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fifth Ward Elementary School
Fifth Ward Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Reserve, Louisiana, enrolling 306 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 41.2% free-meal eligibility runs 34% below the Louisiana average.
Enrollment of 306 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Among 137 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Louisiana schools statewide, it ranks #128, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (16%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 306 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 30.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding St. John the Baptist Parish spends $19,773 per pupil, 21% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
St. John the Baptist Parish also operates East St. John High School (1,293 students) and Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School (754 students) alongside Fifth Ward 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 Fifth Ward Elementary School compares
Fifth Ward 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 21% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.2% | ▼ 34% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 306 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
306
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
41.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 34% 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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 21% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 79% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
30.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$19,773
per pupil, district-wide
- above Louisiana avg of $16,376
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 306 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
18
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 77.8%
Hispanic or Latino 16.3%
White 4.2%
Two or More 1.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 77.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.6, Fifth Ward Elementary School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. John the Baptist Parish, which includes Fifth Ward Elementary School.
$19,773
Per student
+21%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+19%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 62.1%
State 23.5%
Federal 14.4%
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 Fifth Ward Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| East St. John High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Laplace Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Emily C. Watkins Elementary | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| John L. Ory Communications Magnet Elementary | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fifth Ward Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,293
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 754
- Students per teacher
- 18:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 710
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 551
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 428
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
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 (~306 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fifth Ward Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Fifth Ward Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. John the Baptist 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 Fifth Ward Elementary School
How many students attend Fifth Ward Elementary School?
Fifth Ward Elementary School has 306 students enrolled. It is a public school in Reserve, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fifth Ward Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fifth Ward Elementary School is 13.3:1, which is 21% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 15% lower 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 Fifth Ward Elementary School?
41.2% of students at Fifth Ward Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fifth Ward Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Fifth Ward Elementary School is African American at 77.8% of enrollment, in Reserve, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fifth Ward Elementary School?
Fifth Ward Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Fifth Ward Elementary School a good school?
Fifth Ward Elementary School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 79% of 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. John the Baptist Parish?
Besides Fifth Ward Elementary School, St. John the Baptist Parish also operates East St. John High School (1,293 students), Lake Pontchartrain Elementary School (754 students), and Laplace Elementary School (710 students). See the St. John the Baptist 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.