Enrollment
356
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 220129001078
L.S. Rugg Elementary School — Alexandria, LA
Federal NCES profile for L.S. Rugg Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 34/100.
👥 Class size 33
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 0
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: Rapides 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
16.7:1
vs 18.6:1 Louisiana avg
-10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
96.1%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+54% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How L.S. Rugg 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
L.S. Rugg Elementary School reports 356 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 26.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 16.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% 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 5% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 96.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 54% above the Louisiana average and 86% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 44.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Rapides Parish spends $14,229 per pupil district-wide, below the Louisiana average of $17,870 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 38.9% from local sources (property taxes), 43.2% from the state, and 17.9% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 L.S. Rugg 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 | 16.7:1 | ▼ 10% | 18.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 96.1% | ▲ 54% | 62.5% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 356 | top 37% | — | — |
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
96.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 54% 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
16.7:1
students per teacher
— 10% below state mean
Top 40% in Louisiana — lower ratio than 60% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
44.7%
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
$14,229
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
0
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 356 Top 37% in Louisiana — larger than 63% of 1,330 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 26.0
Students per teacher 16.7:1 -10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 96.1% +54% vs state
NCES ID 220129001078
Student demographics
African American 91.6%
White 4.2%
Two or More 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 0.8%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 91.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.0
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 44.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapides Parish, which includes L.S. Rugg Elementary School.
$14,229
Per student
-20%
vs Louisiana
Avg $17,870
-27%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,475
- Students per teacher
- 20.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,271
- Students per teacher
- 19.6:1
- Enrollment
- 1,071
- Students per teacher
- 16.9:1
- Enrollment
- 924
- Students per teacher
- 18.8:1
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
Similar other schools in Alexandria
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Cherokee Elementary School
Standard public school
576 students 18.1:1 students per teacher
J.B. Nachman Elementary School
Standard public school
546 students 19.5:1 students per teacher
Mabel Brasher Montessori
Standard public school
508 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Peabody Montessori Elementary School
Standard public school
466 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
D.F. Huddle Elementary
Standard public school
412 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
Rosenthal Montessori Elementary School
Standard public school
366 students 16.5:1 students per teacher
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 L.S. Rugg Elementary School
How many students attend L.S. Rugg Elementary School?
L.S. Rugg Elementary School has 356 students enrolled. It is a other school in Alexandria, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at L.S. Rugg Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at L.S. Rugg Elementary School is 16.7:1, which is 10% lower than the Louisiana average of 18.6:1 and 5% higher 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 L.S. Rugg Elementary School?
96.1% of students at L.S. Rugg Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of L.S. Rugg Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at L.S. Rugg Elementary School is African American at 91.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in Alexandria, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for L.S. Rugg Elementary School?
L.S. Rugg Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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.