Enrollment
277
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ruston, LA
I.a. Lewis School
Federal NCES profile for I.a. Lewis School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 220099000748
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 92
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
I.a. Lewis School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median.
- #1 of 9
- public schools in Ruston · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.3:1
- students per teacher
- 65.0%
- free-lunch eligible
I.a. Lewis School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, I.a. Lewis School ranks #1 of 9 public schools in Ruston, LA.
School address
District: Lincoln Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220099000748 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.0%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+4% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How I.a. Lewis School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at I.a. Lewis School
I.a. Lewis School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Ruston, Louisiana, enrolling 277 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 65.0% lands close to the Louisiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 277 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 248 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #45.
Its student body is led by African American (57%) and White (33%) (diversity index 56/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 277 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.2% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Discipline events run high: 128 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 277 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Among Ruston's middle schools, it stands alongside Ruston Junior High School (585 students): I.a. Lewis School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (16.3:1 vs 17.7:1).
Lincoln Parish also operates Ruston High School (1,212 students) and Ruston Junior High School (585 students) alongside I.a. Lewis 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 I.a. Lewis School compares
I.a. Lewis 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 | 65.0% | ▲ 4% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 277 | top 77% | - | - |
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.
277
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
65.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 4% 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
3.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$15,391
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 277 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
74
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 46.2 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 57.0%
White 32.9%
Hispanic or Latino 7.6%
Two or More 1.4%
Asian 1.1%
Largest group: African American at 57.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.1, I.a. Lewis School is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lincoln Parish, which includes I.a. Lewis School.
$15,391
Per student
-6%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 33.0%
Federal 14.3%
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 I.a. Lewis School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Ruston Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Choudrant Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Simsboro High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Glen View Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to I.a. Lewis School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 585
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar middle schools in Ruston
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~277 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on I.a. Lewis School's federal record.
- Compare I.a. Lewis School against another school. Compare schools
- Lincoln 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 I.a. Lewis School
How many students attend I.a. Lewis School?
I.a. Lewis School has 277 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ruston, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at I.a. Lewis School?
The student-teacher ratio at I.a. Lewis 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 I.a. Lewis School?
65.0% of students at I.a. Lewis School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of I.a. Lewis School?
The largest demographic group at I.a. Lewis School is African American at 57.0% of enrollment, in Ruston, LA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for I.a. Lewis School?
I.a. Lewis School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher 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).
How does I.a. Lewis School rank among public schools in Ruston?
By Resource Investment Index, I.a. Lewis School ranks #1 of 9 public schools in Ruston, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ruston on the city page.
Is I.a. Lewis School a good school?
I.a. Lewis School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. 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 Lincoln Parish?
Besides I.a. Lewis School, Lincoln Parish also operates Ruston High School (1,212 students), Ruston Junior High School (585 students), and Choudrant Elementary School (536 students). See the Lincoln 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.