Enrollment
228
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Paradis, LA
R.J. Vial Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for R.J. Vial Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 220144001152
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 54
📋 Attendance 74
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
R.J. Vial Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Louisiana schools.
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 14.3:1
- small classes for Louisiana
- 51.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 228
- students enrolled
R.J. Vial Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Louisiana schools. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: St. Charles Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220144001152 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
51.4%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-18% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How R.J. Vial Elementary School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at R.J. Vial Elementary School
R.J. Vial Elementary School is a higher-need, small elementary school in Paradis, Louisiana, enrolling 228 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 14.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 51.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 228 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 112 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #29.
Its student body is led by White (71%) and African American (13%) (diversity index 47/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 228 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
10.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding St. Charles Parish spends $23,457 per pupil, 43% above the Louisiana average, a better-resourced district than most.
St. Charles Parish also operates Destrehan High School (1,435 students) and Hahnville High School (1,416 students) alongside R.J. Vial 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 R.J. Vial Elementary School compares
R.J. Vial 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 | 14.3:1 | ▼ 15% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 51.4% | ▼ 18% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 228 | top 85% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.3:1
Leaner classes than 54% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
228
Bigger than 23% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
51.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 18% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
- 15% below state mean
Top 29% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
10.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$23,457
per pupil, district-wide
- above Louisiana avg of $16,376
Well above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting substantially higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 228 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 4 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 11.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 12.7 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 70.6%
African American 13.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Two or More 5.7%
Largest group: White at 70.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 47.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 47.0, R.J. Vial 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 St. Charles Parish, which includes R.J. Vial Elementary School.
$23,457
Per student
+43%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
+41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 79.2%
State 13.5%
Federal 7.4%
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.
How R.J. Vial Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Destrehan High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Hahnville High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| J.B. Martin Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Harry M. Hurst Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Luling Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to R.J. Vial Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,435
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 1,416
- Students per teacher
- 14.9:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
- Enrollment
- 733
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 51/100
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 653
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
Similar elementary 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 (~228 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on R.J. Vial Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare R.J. Vial Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- St. Charles 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 R.J. Vial Elementary School
How many students attend R.J. Vial Elementary School?
R.J. Vial Elementary School has 228 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Paradis, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at R.J. Vial Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at R.J. Vial Elementary School is 14.3:1, which is 15% lower than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 9% 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 R.J. Vial Elementary School?
51.4% of students at R.J. Vial Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of R.J. Vial Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at R.J. Vial Elementary School is White at 70.6% of enrollment, in Paradis, LA.
What is the Resource Investment Index for R.J. Vial Elementary School?
R.J. Vial Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (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 R.J. Vial Elementary School a good school?
R.J. Vial Elementary School earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% 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 St. Charles Parish?
Besides R.J. Vial Elementary School, St. Charles Parish also operates Destrehan High School (1,435 students), Hahnville High School (1,416 students), and J.B. Martin Middle School (733 students). See the St. Charles 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.