Enrollment
223
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Palmetto, LA
Palmetto Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Palmetto Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 61/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220156001205
👥 S:T ratio 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 55
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Palmetto Elementary School earns 61/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median.
- 61
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.9:1
- students per teacher
- 78.8%
- free-lunch eligible
- 223
- students enrolled
Palmetto Elementary School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Landry Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220156001205 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.8%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+26% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Palmetto Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Palmetto Elementary School
Palmetto Elementary School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Palmetto, Louisiana, enrolling 223 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 78.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 223 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 195 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #31.
Its student body is led by African American (70%) and White (28%) (diversity index 43/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 223 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.0% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 27.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
St. Landry Parish also operates Beau Chene High School (767 students) and Opelousas Senior High School (698 students) alongside Palmetto 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 Palmetto Elementary School compares
Palmetto 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 | 14.9:1 | ▼ 11% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.8% | ▲ 26% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 223 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.9:1
Leaner classes than 48% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
223
Bigger than 22% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
78.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 26% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
- 11% below state mean
Top 35% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 65% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
9.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$14,050
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 223 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 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 70.4%
White 27.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 70.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 42.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 42.7, Palmetto Elementary School is about as mixed as the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for St. Landry Parish, which includes Palmetto Elementary School.
$14,050
Per student
-14%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.6%
State 44.1%
Federal 27.3%
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 Palmetto Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beau Chene High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Opelousas Senior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Leonville Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Eunice High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Northwest High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Palmetto Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 767
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 698
- Students per teacher
- 17.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 616
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 606
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 575
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
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 (~223 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Palmetto Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Palmetto Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Landry 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 Palmetto Elementary School
How many students attend Palmetto Elementary School?
Palmetto Elementary School has 223 students enrolled. It is a public school in Palmetto, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Palmetto Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 11% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 5% 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 Palmetto Elementary School?
78.8% of students at Palmetto Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Palmetto Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Palmetto Elementary School is African American at 70.4% of enrollment, in Palmetto, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Palmetto Elementary School?
Palmetto Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 61/100 (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).
Is Palmetto Elementary School a good school?
Palmetto Elementary School earns 61/100 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 St. Landry Parish?
Besides Palmetto Elementary School, St. Landry Parish also operates Beau Chene High School (767 students), Opelousas Senior High School (698 students), and Leonville Elementary School (616 students). See the St. Landry 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.