Enrollment
585
Louisiana · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Ruston, LA
Ruston Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Ruston Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 220099001815
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 42
📋 Attendance 75
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ruston Junior High School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Louisiana median.
- #4 of 9
- public schools in Ruston · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.7:1
- students per teacher
- 59.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Ruston Junior High School has class sizes near the Louisiana median. Computed live against every Louisiana school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Ruston Junior High School ranks #4 of 9 public schools in Ruston, LA.
School address
District: Lincoln Parish · Louisiana
NCES ID 220099001815 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.7:1
vs 16.8:1 Louisiana avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
59.5%
vs 62.5% Louisiana avg
-5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ruston Junior High School compares with Louisiana and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ruston Junior High School
Ruston Junior High School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Ruston, Louisiana, enrolling 585 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.7:1 puts it in the larger third of Louisiana schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 59.5% lands close to the Louisiana typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 585 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 421 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #108.
Its student body is led by African American (50%) and White (39%) (diversity index 60/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 293 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance holds up well here: only 9.9% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Discipline events run high: 232 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 585 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Among Ruston's middle schools, it stands alongside I.a. Lewis School (277 students): Ruston Junior High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (17.7:1 vs 16.3:1).
Lincoln Parish also operates Ruston High School (1,212 students) and Choudrant Elementary School (536 students) alongside Ruston Junior High 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 Ruston Junior High School compares
Ruston Junior High 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 | 17.7:1 | ▲ 5% | 16.8:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 59.5% | ▼ 5% | 62.5% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 585 | top 29% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.7:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
585
Bigger than 71% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
59.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 5% 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
17.7:1
students per teacher
- 5% above state mean
Top 66% in Louisiana - lower ratio than 34% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
9.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$15,391
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 293 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
129
in-school suspensions + 103 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 22.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.7 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 49.6%
White 39.0%
Hispanic or Latino 7.9%
Two or More 2.1%
Asian 1.5%
Largest group: African American at 49.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 59.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 59.5, Ruston Junior High School is more mixed than the Louisiana school average of 43.9.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lincoln Parish, which includes Ruston Junior High School.
$15,391
Per student
-6%
vs Louisiana
Avg $16,376
-7%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.6%
State 33.0%
Federal 14.3%
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 Ruston Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Choudrant Elementary School | Similar size | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Simsboro High School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Glen View Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Choudrant High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ruston Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,212
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
- Enrollment
- 536
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 532
- Students per teacher
- 14.4:1
- Resource Index
- 62/100
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
- Resource Index
- 64/100
Similar middle schools in Ruston
1 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Similar middle 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 (~585 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ruston Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Ruston Junior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Lincoln 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 Ruston Junior High School
How many students attend Ruston Junior High School?
Ruston Junior High School has 585 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Ruston, LA.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ruston Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ruston Junior High School is 17.7:1, which is 5% higher than the Louisiana average of 16.8:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ruston Junior High School?
59.5% of students at Ruston Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Louisiana average of 62.5%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ruston Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Ruston Junior High School is African American at 49.6% of enrollment, in Ruston, LA. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 59.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ruston Junior High School?
Ruston Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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 Ruston Junior High School rank among public schools in Ruston?
By Resource Investment Index, Ruston Junior High School ranks #4 of 9 public schools in Ruston, LA. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Ruston on the city page.
Is Ruston Junior High School a good school?
Ruston Junior High School earns 54/100 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 Lincoln Parish?
Besides Ruston Junior High School, Lincoln Parish also operates Ruston High School (1,212 students), Choudrant Elementary School (536 students), and Simsboro High School (532 students). See the Lincoln 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.