Other / mixed grade configuration · Alexandria, LA

Jackson Head Start

Federal NCES profile for Jackson Head Start, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220129002508
0/100100/10061/100
👥 S:T ratio
61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Jackson Head Start earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Louisiana schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Louisiana.

#5 of 19
schools in Alexandria · Resource Index
61
Resource Index · Higher
9.7:1
small classes for Louisiana
91.9%
free-lunch eligible

Jackson Head Start has class sizes smaller than 95% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Jackson Head Start ranks #5 of 19 schools in Alexandria, LA.

School address

Enrollment

136

Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

14.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

9.7:1

vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg

-42% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

91.9%

vs 62.5% Louisiana avg

+47% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Jackson Head Start compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians

Smaller classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Jackson Head Start

Jackson Head Start is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Alexandria, Louisiana, enrolling 136 students.

Classes run notably small here: at 9.7:1, Jackson Head Start is leaner than roughly 95% of Louisiana schools and 42% under the state's 16.8:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.

Economic need is high: 91.9% of students qualify for free meals, 47% above the Louisiana average, a Title I-weighted population that federal funding formulas prioritise.

This is a small campus: fewer students than 95% of Louisiana schools, with 136 enrolled.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.

Against 49 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #7.

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): Jackson Head Start is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (9.7:1 vs 18:1).

Rapides Parish also operates Alexandria Senior High School (1,475 students) and Pineville High School (1,271 students) alongside Jackson Head Start.

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 Jackson Head Start compares

Jackson Head Start on the metrics families compare, against Louisiana and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Louisiana Louisiana avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 9.7:1 ▼ 42% 16.8:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 91.9% ▲ 47% 62.5% 51.7%
Enrollment 136 top 95% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

9.7:1
Leaner classes than 90% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
136
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
91.9%
free-lunch eligible - 47% 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
9.7:1
students per teacher - 42% below state mean
Top 5% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 95% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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.

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.

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapides Parish, which includes Jackson Head Start.

$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 Jackson Head Start 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 Jackson Head Start's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Rapides Parish · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Similar other schools in Alexandria

6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Jackson Head Start's federal record.

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 Jackson Head Start

How many students attend Jackson Head Start?

Jackson Head Start has 136 students enrolled. It is a public school in Alexandria, LA.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Jackson Head Start?

The student-teacher ratio at Jackson Head Start is 9.7:1, which is 42% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 38% 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 Jackson Head Start?

91.9% of students at Jackson Head Start are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Jackson Head Start?

Jackson Head Start has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.

How does Jackson Head Start rank among schools in Alexandria?

By Resource Investment Index, Jackson Head Start ranks #5 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 Jackson Head Start a good school?

Jackson Head Start earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 95% of Louisiana schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Louisiana. 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 Jackson Head Start, 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.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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.