Palmetto Elementary School

Set in Palmetto, Louisiana, Palmetto Elementary School is a compact elementary campus, one of the schools within St. Landry Parish. It instructs 223 students across grades pre-K through 6. Enrollment runs roughly 51% smaller than the state mean of about 453.

St. Landry Parish runs 32 schools in total, collectively educating 10,982 students. Palmetto Elementary School is one of those campuses.

In terms of who attends, Palmetto Elementary School reports that 70% of the student body identifies as Black; the rest breaks down as 28% White. The wider county runs roughly 40% Black, putting the school's mix visibly more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, On paper, Palmetto Elementary School has 21 full-time-equivalent teachers, translating to a class-load average of around 10.6:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.0:1, putting Palmetto Elementary School tighter than the state norm the norm. An estimated 83% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a commonly cited indicator of low-income enrollment.

On a demographically-adjusted basis, Palmetto Elementary School sits in the top 10% of Louisiana schools after the BeatsExpectations adjustment. Predicted proficiency for the school's FRL share is roughly 25.1%; actual is 55.3%, +30.2 points clear of the demographic baseline.

In the broader community, the surrounding county (St. Landry Parish) records that median household earnings sit near $44,462, 15% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and census figures put the poverty rate at about 22%. Across St. Landry Parish's 37 public schools (combined enrollment of about 11,731 students), Palmetto Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

Nearest neighbor: North Central High School, around 4.4 miles off. Ranking that nearby cluster on reported proficiency puts Palmetto Elementary School at 1st of 8; the average score across the group is 29.9%.

Geographically, the school is in a small-town area.

Trend over the last 7 years. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Palmetto Elementary School has declined 31%, going from 321 students in 2018 to 223 in 2025. Black enrollment moved from 61% to 70% across the same window. The student-to-teacher ratio pulled in from 19.8:1 in 2018 to 10.6:1 today.

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