Tensas Elementary School

Located at Frontage Road, in St. Joseph, Louisiana, Tensas Elementary School is a tiny primary school that instructs 154 students (grades pre-K through 5), overseen by Tensas Parish. That puts it 66% smaller than the typical public school in Louisiana, which averages around 453 students.

Tensas Parish comprises 2 schools with combined enrollment of 301 students; Tensas Elementary School is among them.

Looking at the student body, Tensas Elementary School lists that nearly all students (83%) are Black; the rest consists of 9% White, 4% Hispanic, 4% multiracial. The wider county runs roughly 54% Black, putting the school's mix considerably more Black than the area baseline.

Looking at school resources, The school reports having 12 full-time-equivalent teachers, for a student-teacher ratio near 12.8:1. The state averages around 14.0:1, so this campus is tighter than the state norm typical. An estimated 96% of students are eligible for free or reduced-price lunch, a number frequently used as a low-income enrollment indicator.

With demographic context factored in, Tensas Elementary School performs roughly as the BeatsExpectations model predicts for a school with this FRL share. The predicted value is around 15.4%, the actual is 22.7%, a residual of +7.3 points.

Zooming out to the county, census data for Tensas Parish shows median household income runs about $36,615, roughly 15% of adults have completed at least a four-year degree, and roughly 26% of residents live below the federal poverty line. Across Tensas Parish's 2 public schools (combined enrollment of about 301 students), Tensas Elementary School is one campus in the mix.

The closest other public school is Tensas High School, roughly 0.6 miles away. Among the 5 schools in that immediate cluster with test data (this one included), Tensas Elementary School ranks 3rd on composite proficiency, behind the local average of 32.6%.

The school occupies a small-town site.

Trend over the last 7 years. Over the past 7-year window, the student count fell 9%: 170 students in 2018 compared to 154 in 2025. The student-to-teacher ratio fell from 21.3:1 in 2018 to 12.8:1 today.

On the community side, recent activity here tends to focus on classroom updates, athletics, and weather closures. Parents, students, alumni, and staff are welcome to weigh in.