Each edition grades its towns against each other only.
A town of 4,116, settled in 1902. Public schools that outperform most of Louisiana.
Kaplan gives you more for your money than most places: homes are within reach, about $132K for a typical one, or 2.2 years of the Lafayette metro’s $61K median household income. It grades C overall, ranked 58th of 161 in Louisiana. The low prices come with trade-offs. On CDC estimates, its residents' health ranks in the bottom 2% nationally, and FEMA rates its natural-hazard risk higher than 90% of U.S. communities, with hurricanes at the top. On the plus side, its public schools beat 90% of Louisiana towns on state tests and graduation. 35% of residents live below the poverty line in Kaplan, against 20% in Louisiana’s towns and 9.6% across U.S. towns.
Where Kaplan beats most towns, and one thing worth knowing.
| School | Grades | Students |
|---|---|---|
| Kaplan Elementary School | PK–4 | 550 |
| Maltrait Memorial Catholic School | PK–8 | 109 |
| Rene A. Rost Middle School | 4–8 | 360 |
| Widest gap | Kaplan | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13.8% | 8.5% |
Where Kaplan’s working residents go each day. Line width shows the share.
Census LEHD 2023
Each subject compared with towns across the country (schools within Louisiana), ordered by how far Kaplan is from typical.
How TownRatings grades towns →
Census counts: 315 in 1910, 4,352 in 2020. The archive holds 6 old photos and papers going back to 1880 and 3 maps from 1946 on.
Who provides power, water and the rest in Kaplan, and how to reach them.
EPA SDWIS (Oct 9, 2026) · HIFLD + EIA-861 2025 · Census 2020 ZCTAs · NCES 2024–25 · registration: vote.gov, updated Aug 3, 2026.
Ordered by what stands out in Kaplan.
Kaplan pairs an A for schools with modest home prices, has homes that are cheap against local pay and has milder winter nights than nearly all U.S. towns.
Kaplan beats the Louisiana average on 0 of 32 CDC measures and trails it on 17. 25% of Kaplan adults smoke cigarettes. Only 10 of the 161 Louisiana towns we compare have a higher share of adults who have been diagnosed with depression than Kaplan.
| Kaplan | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smoke cigarettes (CDC PLACES) | 25% | 19% | 14% |
| Fair or poor health (CDC PLACES) | 32% | 27% | 19% |
| Diabetes (CDC PLACES) | 18% | 16% | 12% |
| Depression (CDC PLACES) | 30% | 27% | 23% |
| What stands out | Kaplan | LA |
|---|---|---|
| More adults with COPD | 13.8% | 8.5% |
| More smokers | 24.7% | 17.3% |
| More adults with heart disease | 10.5% | 7.5% |
CDC PLACES 2025 · modeled estimates for adults · CMS · HRSA
Its A for schools comes with a B+ for cost of living: the typical home is worth about $132K. Its A ranks #6 of the 162 Louisiana towns we grade for schools.
Its public schools are run by the Vermilion Parish school district. Two of its 4 schools are below, each with why it’s listed. The largest public high school is Kaplan High School, with 528 students.
| School | Level | Students | Letter |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kaplan Elementary SchoolLargest public elementary schoolGrades PK–4 | Grades PK–4 | 550 | A |
| Kaplan High SchoolLargest public high schoolGrades 9–12 | Grades 9–12 | 528 | A− |
NCES · EDFacts · graded within LA on state tests and graduation
Since 1979, 100 flood insurance claims have been paid out in Kaplan.
FEMA flood insurance claims · FEMA National Risk Index · OpenFEMA
At 2.2 years of the Lafayette metro’s $61K median household income, the typical home (about $132K) costs less against local pay than in 82% of Louisiana towns; that ratio is one input to its B+ for cost of living. The typical value, about $132K, is 13% below its July 2022 peak.
Typical home values rose 8.6% in the year to September 2026. 59% of households own their home in Kaplan.
| Kaplan | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Households that own their home | 59% | 68% | 73% |
| Median rent | $826 a month | $992 a month | $1,185 a month |
Census ACS, 2020–24 · Zillow Home Value Index · Redfin Data Center
Most working residents leave Kaplan for work: only 12% work in town. The average trip to work in Kaplan is 21 minutes. The top destinations are Lafayette (20%), Abbeville (15%) and Baton Rouge (3%).
| Kaplan | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Average trip to work | 21 minutes | 25 minutes | 25 minutes |
| Working residents who work in town | 12% | 9.8% | 8% |
Census LEHD 2023 · ACS
January nights average 42.7°, milder than in 96% of U.S. towns; July afternoons average 91.3°.
Kaplan has warm winters and warm summers, with plenty of rain. Kaplan’s January low is 43°F. Snow is almost unheard of.
| Kaplan | Louisiana towns | U.S. towns | |
|---|---|---|---|
| January low | 43°F | 42°F | 22°F |
| July high | 91°F | 92°F | 85°F |
NOAA U.S. Climate Normals, 1991–2020
None within 15 miles of Kaplan; the nearest are
About 12 of every 100 Kaplan residents are enrolled in college, against 6 across Louisiana.
5 notable people were born in Kaplan.
City in Louisiana, United States
Kaplan is a city in Vermilion Parish, Louisiana, United States. The population was 4,600 at the 2010 census, and 4,345 at the 2020 population estimates program. It is part of the Abbeville micropolitan statistical area in Acadiana.
From Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 · facts via Wikidata (CC0)
Short answers, built from the data on this page.
Kaplan grades C overall, better than 34% of U.S. towns and #58 of 161 in Louisiana. It grades D− for health and A for schools. Health is its weak spot, with a D−.
Not for the area. Cost of living, which also weighs rents, property taxes and how many households pay 30% or more of their income for housing, grades B+.
5 notable people were born here, including Sammy Kershaw and Frank Glasgow Tinker.
