Rapides Parish

Public school district · Rapides Parish · Louisiana · NCES district ID 2201290

Rapides Parish spent $13,720 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 69% of the other Louisiana districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $14,478). Its 43 schools enrolled 21,340 students in 2024-25; 40.2% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,716 per student, up 7.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 85% (Louisiana: 82.6%).

Spending per student among Louisiana's largest districts

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. Among the 10 districts shown, Rapides Parish ranks 7.

Current spending per student, largest Louisiana districts, FY23Calcasieu Parish $17,724; East Baton Rouge Parish $15,471; St. Tammany Parish $14,823; Jefferson Parish $14,155; Ascension Parish $14,108; Caddo Parish $14,072; Rapides Parish $13,720; Bossier Parish $13,381; Lafayette Parish $12,386; Livingston Parish $12,047; State median, 1,000+ students $14,478.10k12.5k15k17.5k20kCalcasieu Parish$17,724East Baton Rouge Parish$15,471St. Tammany Parish$14,823Jefferson Parish$14,155Ascension Parish$14,108Caddo Parish$14,072Rapides Parish$13,720Bossier Parish$13,381Lafayette Parish$12,386Livingston Parish$12,047State median, 1,000+ students $14,478
Current spending per student, largest Louisiana districts, FY23Calcasieu Parish $17,724; East Baton Rouge Parish $15,471; St. Tammany Parish $14,823; Jefferson Parish $14,155; Ascension Parish $14,108; Caddo Parish $14,072; Rapides Parish $13,720; Bossier Parish $13,381; Lafayette Parish $12,386; Livingston Parish $12,047; State median, 1,000+ students $14,478.10k12.5k15k17.5k20kCalcasieu Parish$17,724East Baton Rouge Parish$15,471St. Tammany Parish$14,823Jefferson Parish$14,155Ascension Parish$14,108Caddo Parish$14,072Rapides Parish$13,720Bossier Parish$13,381Lafayette Parish$12,386Livingston Parish$12,047State median, 1,000+ students $14,478
Current spending per student, largest Louisiana districts, FY23Calcasieu Parish $17,724; East Baton Rouge Parish $15,471; St. Tammany Parish $14,823; Jefferson Parish $14,155; Ascension Parish $14,108; Caddo Parish $14,072; Rapides Parish $13,720; Bossier Parish $13,381; Lafayette Parish $12,386; Livingston Parish $12,047; State median, 1,000+ students $14,478.10k15k20kCalcasieu Parish$17,724East Baton Rouge Parish$15,471St. Tammany Parish$14,823Jefferson Parish$14,155Ascension Parish$14,108Caddo Parish$14,072Rapides Parish$13,720Bossier Parish$13,381Lafayette Parish$12,386Livingston Parish$12,047State median, 1,000+ students $14,478
Current spending per student, largest Louisiana districts, FY23Calcasieu Parish $17,724; East Baton Rouge Parish $15,471; St. Tammany Parish $14,823; Jefferson Parish $14,155; Ascension Parish $14,108; Caddo Parish $14,072; Rapides Parish $13,720; Bossier Parish $13,381; Lafayette Parish $12,386; Livingston Parish $12,047; State median, 1,000+ students $14,478.10k15k20kCalcasieu Parish$17,724East Baton Rouge Parish$15,471St. Tammany Parish$14,823Jefferson Parish$14,155Ascension Parish$14,108Caddo Parish$14,072Rapides Parish$13,720Bossier Parish$13,381Lafayette Parish$12,386Livingston Parish$12,047State median, 1,000+ students $14,478

Where the money came from

$350,295,000 in revenue: 40.2% state, 40.3% local and 19.5% federal. Total spending including $15,022,000 of capital outlay was $334,022,000, or $14,528 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Rapides Parish revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $140,854,000; Local $141,110,000; Federal $68,331,000; total $350,295,000.
  • State$140,854,000 40%
  • Local$141,110,000 40%
  • Federal$68,331,000 20%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 84 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

22,991 students in 2022-23, 22,546 students in 2023-24, 21,340 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Rapides Parish enrollment by school year2022-23: 22,991, 2023-24: 22,546, 2024-25: 21,340010k20k30k2022-2322,9912023-2422,5462024-2521,340
Rapides Parish enrollment by school year2022-23: 22,991, 2023-24: 22,546, 2024-25: 21,340010k20k30k2022-2322,9912023-2422,5462024-2521,340
Rapides Parish enrollment by school year2022-23: 22,991, 2023-24: 22,546, 2024-25: 21,340010k20k30k2022-2322,9912023-2422,5462024-2521,340
Rapides Parish enrollment by school year2022-23: 22,991, 2023-24: 22,546, 2024-25: 21,340010k20k30k2022-2322,9912023-2422,5462024-2521,340

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-2322,9911359.116.9
2023-2422,5461634.913.8
2024-2521,3401574.713.6

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$97,408,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $4,237 per student

Rapides Parish booked $97,408,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 1,359 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $71,668 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 74 in 100 Louisiana districts with a figure (state median $64,742, 167 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Louisiana teacher salary at $52,376 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$69,905,00071.8%
Special education$15,070,00015.5%
Vocational$3,642,0003.7%
Other programs$8,791,0009.0%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,518 in 2018-19, $3,667 in 2019-20, $4,010 in 2020-21, $4,369 in 2021-22, $4,237 in 2022-23.

Rapides Parish teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,518, 2019-20: $3,667, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,369, 2022-23: $4,23702k4k6k2018-19$3,5182019-20$3,6672020-21$4,0102021-22$4,3692022-23$4,237
Rapides Parish teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,518, 2019-20: $3,667, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,369, 2022-23: $4,23702k4k6k2018-19$3,5182019-20$3,6672020-21$4,0102021-22$4,3692022-23$4,237
Rapides Parish teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,518, 2019-20: $3,667, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,369, 2022-23: $4,23702k4k6k2018-19$3,5182019-20$3,6672020-21$4,0102021-22$4,3692022-23$4,237
Rapides Parish teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,518, 2019-20: $3,667, 2020-21: $4,010, 2021-22: $4,369, 2022-23: $4,23702k4k6k2018-19$3,5182019-20$3,6672020-21$4,0102021-22$4,3692022-23$4,237

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Rapides Parish scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 32% in math, against 42.4% in reading and 31.8% in math across Louisiana. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Louisiana, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtLouisianaStudents tested
Reading and language arts45%42.4%10,669
Math32%31.8%10,728

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

85% of the 1,631 students in Rapides Parish's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 82.6% across Louisiana. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtLouisiana
Four-year graduation rate85%82.6%
Students in the class1,63150,762

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

25 elementary schools, 10,005 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
J.I. Barron Sr. Elementary School92415.058.5%Schoolwide program
Cherokee Elementary School57613.875.9%Schoolwide program
J.B. Nachman Elementary School54615.567.9%Schoolwide program
Mabel Brasher Montessori50816.095.7%Schoolwide program
Forest Hill Junior High School49612.478.6%Schoolwide program
Tioga Elementary School48213.479.5%Schoolwide program
Peabody Montessori Elementary School46615.962.9%Schoolwide program
Buckeye Elementary School41913.752.5%Schoolwide program
D.F. Huddle Elementary41211.497.1%Schoolwide program
Ruby-Wise Elementary School41014.755.1%Schoolwide program
Lessie Moore Elementary School39213.191.8%Schoolwide program
Ball Elementary School38713.777.3%Schoolwide program
The other 13 elementary schools
SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Hayden R. Lawrence Upper Elementary School38216.358.6%Schoolwide program
Paradise Elementary School36911.870.5%Schoolwide program
Rosenthal Montessori Elementary School36614.277.9%Schoolwide program
Mary Goff Elementary School36516.665.8%Schoolwide program
Caroline Dormon Junior High School36214.132.0%Eligible, no program
L.S. Rugg Elementary School35613.396.3%Schoolwide program
Poland Junior High School33011.671.5%Schoolwide program
Phoenix Magnet Elementary School31413.939.5%Eligible, no program
Martin Park Elementary School28113.293.6%Schoolwide program
Acadian Elementary27011.995.6%Schoolwide program
Horseshoe Drive Elementary School24310.094.7%Schoolwide program
Alma Redwine Elementary22510.896.0%Schoolwide program
Carter C. Raymond Junior High School1247.089.5%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

6 middle schools, 2,734 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Scott M. Brame Middle School70914.873.2%Schoolwide program
Pineville Junior High School52713.066.6%Schoolwide program
Alexandria Middle Magnet School46914.192.5%Schoolwide program
Tioga Junior High School41511.068.9%Schoolwide program
Arthur F. Smith Middle Magnet School36211.494.8%Schoolwide program
Pineville Elementary School25212.190.5%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

7 high schools, 6,233 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Alexandria Senior High School1,47517.953.4%Schoolwide program
Pineville High School1,27115.754.5%Schoolwide program
Peabody Magnet High School1,07114.989.2%Schoolwide program
Buckeye High School91513.448.6%Schoolwide program
Tioga High School88114.461.2%Schoolwide program
Bolton High School37210.245.4%Schoolwide program
Rapides High School24811.775.4%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

5 other schools, 2,368 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Oak Hill High School71512.857.5%Schoolwide program
Glenmora High School67313.270.7%Schoolwide program
Northwood High School59812.176.6%Schoolwide program
Plainview High School31311.066.1%Schoolwide program
Rapides Training Academy694.489.9%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

4 more schools on file: small, closed or in an earlier directory

These records carry fewer federal fields than a full school page needs, so each is summarized here with what NCES reports.

Jackson Head Start

School in Alexandria; 136 students; 9.3 students per teacher.

McKeithen Head Start

School in Alexandria; 120 students; 5.9 students per teacher.

Lee Head Start

School in Alexandria; 99 students; 9.5 students per teacher.

The Pines Head Start

School in Pineville; 64 students; 5.5 students per teacher.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 and earlier directories: the last year each school was listed, its students and its teachers.

Contact Rapides Parish

  • Phone: (318) 487-0888
  • Office: 619 Sixth Street, Alexandria, LA 71301

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Rapides Parish

  1. Louisiana districts by spending per studentRapides Parish ranks 58 of 84 Louisiana districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,720).#58 of 84
  2. Every school district in LouisianaRapides Parish is the number 10 by size of 194 Louisiana districts, with 22,991 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#10 of 194
  3. Bossier ParishThe next larger Louisiana district: 23,918 students in fall 2022, $13,381 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,381
  4. Tangipahoa ParishThe next smaller Louisiana district: 20,700 students in fall 2022, $12,808 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$12,808
  5. Compare Rapides Parish with Bossier ParishEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Alexandria Senior High School, its largest high school1,475 students in 2024-25, 17.9 per teacher.1,475
  7. Teacher salary spending across LouisianaRapides Parish spent $71,668 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $64,742); spending, not a salary.$71,668
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Rapides Parish

  1. How many schools and students are in Rapides Parish?
    43 schools were open in 2024-25 (25 elementary, 6 middle, 7 high, 5 other), enrolling 21,340 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Rapides Parish spend per student?
    $13,720 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Louisiana median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $14,478 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $14,716 per student, up 7.3% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Rapides Parish's money come from?
    $350,295,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 40.2% state, 40.3% local and 19.5% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Rapides Parish live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 5,230 of the 23,184 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 22.6%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Rapides Parish spend on teacher salaries?
    $97,408,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $4,237 per student. Divided by the 1,359 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $71,668 per teacher, more than 74 in 100 Louisiana districts (state median $64,742). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Louisiana teacher salary at $52,376 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Rapides Parish do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Rapides Parish scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 32% in math, against 42.4% in reading and 31.8% in math across Louisiana. Louisiana's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Rapides Parish?
    85% of the 1,631 students in Rapides Parish's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 82.6% across Louisiana. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Rapides Parish's NCES district ID?
    2201290. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25