Enrollment
369
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Ball, LA
Paradise Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Paradise Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220129001065
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
📋 Attendance 41
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paradise Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Louisiana schools.
- #3 of 3
- schools in Ball · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.4:1
- large classes for Louisiana
- 73.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Paradise Elementary School has class sizes larger than 73% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paradise Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Ball, LA.
School address
District: Rapides Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220129001065 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
73.2%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
+17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paradise Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paradise Elementary School
Paradise Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Ball, Louisiana, enrolling 369 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 18.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 73.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 369 students, its enrollment sits close to the Louisiana median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 346 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #184.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and African American (21%) (diversity index 47/100).
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.8% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
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 Ball's public schools, it stands alongside Tioga Elementary School (482 students): Paradise Elementary School is smaller than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.4:1 vs 17.2:1).
Rapides Parish also operates Alexandria Senior High School (1,475 students) and Pineville High School (1,271 students) alongside Paradise 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 Paradise Elementary School compares
Paradise 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 10% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 73.2% | ▲ 17% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 369 | top 61% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
369
Bigger than 43% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
73.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 10% above state mean
Top 73% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 27% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
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.
Support staff
Counselors0.0 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.2 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
White 69.4%
African American 21.1%
Hispanic or Latino 4.9%
Two or More 2.7%
Asian 1.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Largest group: White at 69.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.0, Paradise Elementary School is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Rapides Parish, which includes Paradise Elementary School.
$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 Paradise Elementary School 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Peabody Magnet High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J.I. Barron Sr. Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Buckeye High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paradise Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,475
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
- Enrollment
- 1,271
- Students per teacher
- 18.2:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 1,071
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 924
- Students per teacher
- 18.1:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
- Enrollment
- 915
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
Similar other schools in Ball
2 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.
Similar enrollment (~369 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paradise Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Paradise Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Rapides 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 Paradise Elementary School
How many students attend Paradise Elementary School?
Paradise Elementary School has 369 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ball, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paradise Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paradise Elementary School is 18.4:1, which is 10% higher than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paradise Elementary School?
73.2% of students at Paradise Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paradise Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Paradise Elementary School is White at 69.4% of enrollment, in Ball, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paradise Elementary School?
Paradise Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Paradise Elementary School rank among schools in Ball?
By Resource Investment Index, Paradise Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 schools in Ball, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Ball on the city page.
Is Paradise Elementary School a good school?
Paradise Elementary School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 73% of Louisiana schools. 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 Paradise Elementary School, 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.
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.