Enrollment
359
Elementary
DISTRICT 368 · STATE 453
SCHOOL COMMUNITY·LINCOLN PARISH·NCES 220099000751
Ruston Elementary School
200 N. Bernard Street, Ruston, LA 71270 · (318) 255-4714 · Lincoln Parish
GRADES 03–05ELEMENTARY32-TOWNTITLE IREGULAR SCHOOL359 STUDENTS
Student : Teacher
10.9:1
33 FTE teachers
DISTRICT 12.9:1 · STATE 14.0:1
Free / Reduced Lunch
63%
226 students
DISTRICT 57% · STATE 70%
Community
0
0 members
Enrollment and student:teacher ratio compared against other elementary schools. Free/Reduced Lunch and demographics compared against all schools.
Enrollment by grade, 2024-25
| Grade | Students | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Grade 3 | 134 | 37% |
| Grade 4 | 125 | 35% |
| Grade 5 | 100 | 28% |
Student demographics
63%Diversity index
The chance that two students picked at random belong to different racial or ethnic groups.
DISTRICT 61% · STATE 65% · US 70%
Student head counts by race/ethnicity from federal NCES enrollment data. District, state, and US figures are each group's share of all public school students in that area (US excludes territories). Very small groups may be suppressed in the source, so categories do not always sum exactly to total enrollment.
Gender split
Test scores
LEAP 2025 2025-26 . % Mastery+English Language Arts
37.0%
LA avg 41.8% . -3.0pp since 2022
Math
45.0%
LA avg 34.2% . +7.0pp since 2022
What this means: On the LEAP 2025, Louisiana's statewide test, about 37 of every 100 students at this school read and write at grade level and about 45 of 100 do math at grade level. Across all Louisiana schools, those numbers are about 42 and 34. Reading and writing scores are down about 3 points since 2022, while math scores are up about 7 points.
LEAP 2025 results by year
| School year | English Language Arts | Math |
|---|---|---|
| 2025-26 | 37.0% | 45.0% |
| 2024-25 | 36.0% | 38.0% |
| 2023-24 | 31.0% | 41.0% |
| 2022-23 | 40.0% | 38.0% |
% Mastery+, all students and all tested grades.
Source: LEAP 2025. All students, all grades. See all years and grades →
BeatsExpectations
Demographically-adjusted score · methodologyTier
AS EXPECTED
Performing as predicted given the school's student profile
Actual proficiency
33.5%
composite math + reading, all grades
Predicted
39.0%
based on LA schools with similar FRL share
Beats by
-5.5pp
below demographic expectation
What this means: About 34% of students here test proficient in math and reading, compared with the roughly 39% typical for Louisiana schools with a similar share of low-income students. BeatsExpectations measures results against demographically similar schools rather than by raw scores, and this school falls within the typical range, neither among Louisiana's top nor bottom 10%.
BeatsExpectations runs a per-state regression of proficiency on free/reduced-lunch share, then scores each school by residual. How this is calculated →
Schools most like Ruston Elementary School
| School | Students | Low-income | Proficient |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ruston Elementary School this school | 359 | 63.0% | 33.5% |
| Hillcrest Elementary School Ruston | 326 | 66.9% | N/A |
| John L. Ory Communications Magnet Elementary LaPlace | 428 | 63.6% | 40.3% |
| Dolby Elementary School Lake Charles | 360 | 61.4% | 42.0% |
| Baton Rouge Ochsner Discovery Baton Rouge | 316 | 69.9% | N/A |
| Northwestern Elementary School Zachary | 337 | 67.1% | N/A |
Matched among Louisiana elementary schools on enrollment, the share of students from low-income families (eligible for free or reduced-price lunch), and racial and ethnic makeup. Proficient is the average share of students meeting the state standard across all of the school's state tests in 2023-24 and 2024-25, the same combined score our test-score rankings use. Online schools and schools serving specialized populations are not matched.
Where Ruston Elementary School ranks
Among elementary schools| Measure | This school | In Louisiana | In Lincoln Parish |
|---|---|---|---|
| State test proficiency ranked highest first | 33.5% | #291 of 583 | N/A |
| Math proficiency ranked highest first | 45.0% | #174 of 582 ▲ 68 | N/A |
| Reading proficiency ranked highest first | 37.0% | #324 of 587 ▲ 18 | N/A |
| 3-year test score change ranked biggest gain first | +2.0pp | #217 of 540 | N/A |
| Enrollment ranked largest first | 359 | #462 of 714 | #5 of 7 |
| Students per teacher ranked fewest first | 10.9:1 | #84 of 655 | #1 of 6 |
| Diversity index ranked most diverse first | 62.7% | #117 of 655 | #2 of 6 |
| Free and reduced lunch ranked highest share first | 63.0% | #499 of 705 | #5 of 7 |
| Enrollment change since 2017-18 ranked fastest growth first | +15.4% | #81 of 197 | N/A |
Ranked against other public elementary schools. Online schools are left out of every list, and test-score lists leave out schools that serve specialized populations. Each rank links to the full list. Arrows under a test-score rank show places moved since the prior test year, among schools tested both years.
4-year change
SY 2020-21 vs SY 2024-25Enrollment
359
+6 (+2%) vs 2020
-27% since 1990-91, when it was 491
Student : Teacher
10.9:1
was 18.6:1
Source: NCES Common Core of Data
Enrollment and staffing by year
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Students per teacher | Free and reduced lunch |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | 359 | 32.9 | 10.9:1 | 63% (226) |
| 2023-24 | 312 | 33.8 | 9.2:1 | 57% (178) |
| 2022-23 | 341 | 20.4 | 16.7:1 | 63% (215) |
| 2020-21 | 353 | 19 | 18.6:1 | 48% (171) |
| 2017-18 | 311 | 18.2 | 17.1:1 | 43% (134) |
| 2015-16 | 353 | 33 | 10.7:1 | 79% (278) |
| 2010-11 | 447 | 30 | 14.9:1 | 96% (430) |
| 2000-01 | 439 | 34 | 12.9:1 | 90% (394) |
| 1990-91 | 491 | 29 | 16.9:1 | N/A |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data. Rows are the federal collections on file for Ruston Elementary School.
Since 2017-18: students up 15% (311 to 359); teachers up 81% (18.2 to 32.9).
About Ruston Elementary School
Ruston Elementary School is a low-enrollment elementary school in Ruston, Louisiana, (ZIP code 71270). Its grade span covers grades 3 through 5, with 359 students on the rolls. That compares with an average of about 453 students for elementary schools in Louisiana.
Ruston Elementary School is among 12 schools run by Lincoln Parish, which serves 5,601 students.
About 51% of the student body at Ruston Elementary School is Black. Other students are 30% White, 14% Hispanic, and 3% multiracial. By comparison, Lincoln Parish residents are about 37% Black. On a 0 to 100 scale, the school's diversity index is 63, compared with 70 nationally.
Ruston Elementary School lists 32.9 full-time-equivalent teachers; that is about 10.9 students per teacher. The school's 10.9:1 compares with an average of 14.0:1 for elementary schools in Louisiana. Free or reduced-price lunch covers 63% of the student body.
Given its share of students eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, Ruston Elementary School would be expected to post about 39.0%. Its actual average proficiency rate across its state test results is 33.5%.
For Lincoln Parish, Census Bureau data show the median household earns about $39,172 a year, roughly 36% of adults have a four-year degree or more, and about 21% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Counting Ruston Elementary School, Lincoln Parish has 14 public schools.
Of the public schools around it, Ruston Elementary School is closest to Howard School, about 1.1 miles away. There are at least 8 other public schools within five miles. Ranking the closest schools with test data puts Ruston Elementary School at 2nd of 5.
NCES lists the school's locale as Town: Distant. That means it sits in a town some distance from an urbanized area.
The school's size has been steady, with 353 students in 2020-21 and 359 in 2024-25. Over the same period, the student-to-teacher ratio dropped to 10.9:1, from 18.6:1.
The allk12 page for Ruston Elementary School lets the school community talk about special education services, counseling, and support programs. Current and former families are welcome to add their experience.
Lincoln Parish at a glance
View full county profilePopulation
48,174
Census ACS
Median income
$39,172
Household, ACS
Bachelor's+
36%
Adults 25+
Poverty rate
21%
Below federal line
Schools in county
14
6,360 students
Quick facts
Related schools
Other schools in Lincoln Parish
- Ruston High SchoolHigh · 1,212 students
- Ruston Junior High SchoolMiddle · 585 students
- Choudrant Elementary SchoolElementary · 536 students
- Simsboro High SchoolCombined · 532 students
- Glen View Elementary SchoolElementary · 438 students
- Choudrant High SchoolHigh · 421 students
Other schools in Ruston
- Ruston High SchoolHigh · 1,212 students
- Ruston Junior High SchoolMiddle · 585 students
- Glen View Elementary SchoolElementary · 438 students
- A. E. Phillips Laboratory SchoolElementary · 412 students
- Cypress Springs Elementary SchoolElementary · 369 students
- Hillcrest Elementary SchoolElementary · 326 students
Nearby schools
- Howard School1.1 mi · 75
- Ruston High School1.6 mi · 1,212
- A. E. Phillips Laboratory School1.7 mi · 412
- I.A. Lewis School2.0 mi · 277
- Hillcrest Elementary School2.0 mi · 326
- Glen View Elementary School2.6 mi · 438
Frequently asked questions
About Ruston Elementary SchoolHow many students attend Ruston Elementary School?
Ruston Elementary School enrolls approximately 359 students in grades 03-05.
What grades does Ruston Elementary School serve?
Ruston Elementary School serves grades 03-05.
How many students per teacher at Ruston Elementary School?
Approximately 10.9:1 students per teacher at Ruston Elementary School.
How diverse is Ruston Elementary School?
Ruston Elementary School reports a student body of 30% White, 14% Hispanic, 51% Black, 2% Asian, 3% Two or more.
Who oversees Ruston Elementary School?
Ruston Elementary School is overseen by Lincoln Parish in Lincoln Parish.
Data sourceSchool profile facts are sourced from the NCES. Community content is posted by allk12 members.