Enrollment
592
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Duson, LA
Ridge Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ridge Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 220087001600
👥 S:T ratio 32
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 83
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ridge Elementary School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Louisiana schools.
- #2 of 3
- schools in Duson · Resource Index
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.9:1
- students per teacher
- 54.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Ridge Elementary School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ridge Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Duson, LA.
School address
District: Lafayette Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220087001600 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.9:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.8%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ridge Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ridge Elementary School
Ridge Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Duson, Louisiana, enrolling 592 students.
At 16.9:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Louisiana median, within a few percentage points of the 16.8:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 54.8% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 592 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,330 scored Louisiana schools.
Against 397 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #77.
Its student body is led by White (40%) and African American (31%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 70/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 296 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 6.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
The surrounding Lafayette Parish spends $11,837 per pupil, 28% below the Louisiana average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Duson's public schools, it stands alongside Charles M. Burke Elementary School (564 students): Ridge Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (16.9:1 vs 12.8:1).
Lafayette Parish also operates Southside High School (1,833 students) and Lafayette High School (1,720 students) alongside Ridge 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 Ridge Elementary School compares
Ridge 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 | 16.9:1 | ▲ 1% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.8% | ▼ 12% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 592 | top 28% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.9:1
Leaner classes than 31% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
592
Bigger than 72% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 12% below the Louisiana average of 62.5%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
16.9:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 56% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
6.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,837
per pupil, district-wide
- below Louisiana avg of $16,376
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 296 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
28
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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 40.4%
African American 31.1%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
Asian 4.6%
Two or More 3.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 40.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 69.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 69.7, Ridge 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 Lafayette Parish, which includes Ridge Elementary School.
$11,837
Per student
-28%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.5%
State 32.8%
Federal 15.7%
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 Ridge Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lafayette High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Acadiana High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| David Thibodaux Stem Magnet Academy | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Milton Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ridge Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,833
- Students per teacher
- 23.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,720
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 1,652
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 1,362
- Students per teacher
- 21:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,261
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
Similar other schools in Duson
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 (~592 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ridge Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ridge Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Lafayette 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 Ridge Elementary School
How many students attend Ridge Elementary School?
Ridge Elementary School has 592 students enrolled. It is a public school in Duson, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ridge Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ridge Elementary School is 16.9:1, which is 1% higher than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 8% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ridge Elementary School?
54.8% of students at Ridge Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ridge Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ridge Elementary School is White at 40.4% of enrollment, in Duson, LA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 69.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ridge Elementary School?
Ridge Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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).
How does Ridge Elementary School rank among schools in Duson?
By Resource Investment Index, Ridge Elementary School ranks #2 of 3 schools in Duson, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Duson on the city page.
Is Ridge Elementary School a good school?
Ridge Elementary School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Lafayette Parish?
Besides Ridge Elementary School, Lafayette Parish also operates Southside High School (1,833 students), Lafayette High School (1,720 students), and Acadiana High School (1,652 students). See the Lafayette 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.