Enrollment
285
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 220180001394
James a. Herod Elementary School — Abbeville, LA
Federal NCES profile for James a. Herod Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 33/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 22
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: Vermilion 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)
26.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.1:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
89.4%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+43% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How James a. Herod 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
James a. Herod Elementary School reports 285 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 30% below the Louisiana state mean of 18.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 89.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 43% above the Louisiana average and 73% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 31.2% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Vermilion Parish spends $14,732 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 33.5% from local sources (property taxes), 45.1% from the state, and 21.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 James a. Herod 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 | 13.1:1 | ▼ 30% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 89.4% | ▲ 43% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 285 | top 24% | — | — |
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
89.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 43% 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
13.1:1
students per teacher
— 30% below state mean
Top 11% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 89% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
31.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,732
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
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
96
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 33.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 46.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 9 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 285 Top 24% in Louisiana — larger than 76% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 13.1:1 -30% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 89.4% +43% vs state
NCES ID 220180001394
Student demographics
African American 65.3%
White 18.6%
Asian 7.0%
Two or More 5.3%
Hispanic or Latino 3.9%
Largest group: African American at 65.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 31.2%
In-school suspensions 96
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Expulsions 9
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Vermilion Parish, which includes James a. Herod Elementary School.
$14,732
Per student
-18%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-24%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 33.5%
State 45.1%
Federal 21.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 790
- Students per teacher
- 23.1:1
- Enrollment
- 624
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Enrollment
- 592
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 569
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 19.7:1
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 James a. Herod Elementary School
How many students attend James a. Herod Elementary School?
James a. Herod Elementary School has 285 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in Abbeville, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at James a. Herod Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at James a. Herod Elementary School is 13.1:1, which is 30% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at James a. Herod Elementary School?
89.4% of students at James a. Herod Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of James a. Herod Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at James a. Herod Elementary School is African American at 65.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in Abbeville, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for James a. Herod Elementary School?
James a. Herod Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.