Enrollment
243
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Alexandria, LA
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Horseshoe Drive Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 26/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220129001053
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 3
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 78% of Louisiana schools.
- #17 of 19
- schools in Alexandria · Resource Index
- 26
- Resource Index · Lower
- 13.5:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 92.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Horseshoe Drive Elementary School ranks #17 of 19 schools in Alexandria, LA.
School address
District: Rapides Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220129001053 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
92.6%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Horseshoe Drive Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Horseshoe Drive Elementary School
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Alexandria, Louisiana, enrolling 243 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 13.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need is high: 92.6% of students qualify for free meals, 48% above the Louisiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.
Enrollment of 243 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,330 Louisiana schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 136 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Louisiana schools statewide, it ranks #134, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 21/100).
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.7% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 17.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Alexandria's public schools, it stands alongside Cherokee Elementary School (576 students): Horseshoe Drive Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (13.5:1 vs 18:1).
Rapides Parish also operates Alexandria Senior High School (1,475 students) and Pineville High School (1,271 students) alongside Horseshoe Drive 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 Horseshoe Drive Elementary School compares
Horseshoe Drive 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 20% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 92.6% | ▲ 48% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 243 | top 82% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
243
Bigger than 24% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
92.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 48% above the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Well above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold, among the highest-need profiles in the state; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 20% below state mean
Top 22% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
38.7%
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
$13,896
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
0
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.6 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 88.5%
Two or More 4.9%
White 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 88.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 21.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 21.3, Horseshoe Drive Elementary School is less mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapides Parish, which includes Horseshoe Drive Elementary School.
$13,896
Per student
-15%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 38.9%
State 43.2%
Federal 17.9%
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 Horseshoe Drive Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alexandria Senior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Pineville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Peabody Magnet High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.I. Barron Sr. Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Buckeye High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Horseshoe Drive Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,475
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,271
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,071
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 924
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar other schools in Alexandria
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Cherokee Elementary School
Standard public school
576 students 18:1 students per teacher
J.B. Nachman Elementary School
Standard public school
546 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Mabel Brasher Montessori
Standard public school
508 students 22.1:1 students per teacher
Peabody Montessori Elementary School
Standard public school
466 students 18.6:1 students per teacher
D.F. Huddle Elementary
Standard public school
412 students 17.2:1 students per teacher
Rosenthal Montessori Elementary School
Standard public school
366 students 15.9:1 students per teacher
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 (~243 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.5:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Horseshoe Drive Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Horseshoe Drive Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Rapides 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 Horseshoe Drive Elementary School
How many students attend Horseshoe Drive Elementary School?
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School has 243 students enrolled. It is a public school in Alexandria, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Horseshoe Drive Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Horseshoe Drive Elementary School is 13.5:1, which is 20% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 14% 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 Horseshoe Drive Elementary School?
92.6% of students at Horseshoe Drive Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Horseshoe Drive Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Horseshoe Drive Elementary School is African American at 88.5% of enrollment, in Alexandria, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Horseshoe Drive Elementary School?
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 26/100 (lower 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).
How does Horseshoe Drive Elementary School rank among schools in Alexandria?
By Resource Investment Index, Horseshoe Drive Elementary School ranks #17 of 19 schools in Alexandria, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Alexandria on the city page.
Is Horseshoe Drive Elementary School a good school?
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School earns 26/100 on the Resource Investment Index, even as it posts class sizes smaller than 78% 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 Rapides Parish?
Besides Horseshoe Drive Elementary School, Rapides Parish also operates Alexandria Senior High School (1,475 students), Pineville High School (1,271 students), and Peabody Magnet High School (1,071 students). See the Rapides 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.