Bolton Academy

Bolton Academy is a cozy secondary school in Alexandria, Louisiana, one of the schools within Rapides Parish. The school serves 372 students in grades 6 through 12. By comparison, Louisiana's public schools average about 711 students each, so Bolton Academy sits 48% leaner than that benchmark.

Across the 43 schools in Rapides Parish (21,340 students total), Bolton Academy accounts for its share of the district's footprint.

On demographics, Bolton Academy shows that White students make up the majority at 58%. Beyond that, the school lists 33% Black, 3% multiracial, 2% Asian, 2% Hispanic. Compared to Rapides Parish overall, the school's racial mix sits in roughly the same range.

On the income-and-resources front, The school currently runs with 37 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 10.2:1. That figure is tighter than the state norm's 18.0:1 average. About 55% of enrolled students meet the income threshold for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator. That share is noticeably below Rapides Parish's rate of about 77%.

Adjusting for the school's free-and-reduced-lunch share, Bolton Academy sits in the top 10% of Louisiana schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 45.1%; actual is 78.3%, +33.3 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the surrounding community, community-level numbers for Rapides Parish indicate the typical household earns roughly $54,967 per year, roughly 23% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and the poverty rate sits near 15%. Across Rapides Parish's 51 public schools (combined enrollment of about 21,481 students), Bolton Academy is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is L.S. Rugg Elementary School, roughly 0.4 miles away. 8 of the 8 nearest public schools sit inside a five-mile radius. On composite proficiency, Bolton Academy comes 1st of 8 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 24.9%.

The school occupies an inner-city site.

Over the past 7-year window. Over the past 7-year window, the student count declined 42%: 638 students in 2018 compared to 372 in 2025. Over the same period, the Black share ticked down from 73% to 33%. Class-load math has fell: from 16.8:1 in 2018 to 10.2:1 in 2025.

Within the allk12 community for this school, recent activity here tends to focus on school events, parent volunteer needs, and clubs. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.