Prairie Elementary School

Prairie Elementary School is an elementary school of average-sized scale in Lafayette, Louisiana, operated by Lafayette Parish, hosting 663 students in grades pre-K through 5. Compared to the state average of about 453 students per school, that is 46% above typical.

Lafayette Parish comprises 44 schools with combined enrollment of 29,396 students; Prairie Elementary School is among them.

On demographics, Prairie Elementary School shows that the largest single group is White at 44%, but no single group is in the majority; the rest consists of 39% Black, 10% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. That is considerably less White than the county at large, where the share is closer to 63%.

Looking at school resources, The school currently runs with 38 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 17.3:1. Statewide, the average ratio sits near 14.0:1, putting Prairie Elementary School higher than the state norm the norm. Roughly 58% of students at Prairie Elementary School qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, often used as a Title I proxy.

With demographic context factored in, Prairie Elementary School sits in the middle band of the BeatsExpectations distribution. Schools with this campus's student mix typically land near 42.6%; this one delivers 54.0%.

Around the school, Lafayette Parish reports that median household income runs about $67,451, 35% of adults hold a bachelor's degree or higher, and the poverty rate sits near 13%. Across Lafayette Parish's 50 public schools (combined enrollment of about 35,903 students), Prairie Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Acadiana High School, roughly 1.2 miles away. Counting just inside five miles, 8 other public schools cluster around Prairie Elementary School. On composite proficiency, Prairie Elementary School comes 3rd of 6 in the immediate cluster, higher than the nearby-schools average of 49.1%.

The school occupies an urban site.

Looking at the recent track record. Looking back 7 years, enrollment at Prairie Elementary School has fell 11%, going from 744 students in 2018 to 663 in 2025. White enrollment moved from 51% to 44% across the same window. Class-load math has widened: from 16.2:1 in 2018 to 17.3:1 in 2025.

On this page, the feed for Prairie Elementary School typically covers science fair prep, picture-day reminders, and bus-route questions. Posting is open to anyone connected to the school.