Compiled from official source data by PlainSchools.
76 public K-12 schools in Little Rock from NCES Common Core of Data: enrollment, grade span, demographics, and Civil Rights Data Collection statistics for every active campus.
According to NCES CCD 2024-25, Little Rock has more public-school enrollment than 97% of the 4,487 US cities in this directory. Little Rock is among the largest city school systems in this directory by enrollment, but its campuses are divided among 17 districts. That combination matters: citywide averages blend separate budgets, staffing policies, attendance boundaries, and program rules. For a family comparing schools here, the district column is as important as the city average; two nearby campuses may answer to different boards and draw on different F-33 funding pools.
A full K–12 ladder sits inside the city boundary
Little Rock's list includes 28 elementary, 10 middle, and 12 high-school campuses, plus 26 combined-grade records. The city average spans every major grade stage, so the ranked table is more informative when read within level than as one interchangeable queue.
Governance mix is central to a fair comparison
24 of 76 listed Little Rock campuses are reported as charters, so district-run and charter records occupy substantial shares of the same city view. They may follow different governance, enrollment, and program structures even when their mailing city matches. The 83-point gap between Ark. School for the Blind H.S. and Premier High School Online should be read within that context, not as a single-system league table. Check charter status and district affiliation before comparing two nearby schools, and verify current admissions rules with the operator.
City enrollment
Top 3%
School count
Top 2%
Resource Index average
54th percentile
Teacher staffing
47th percentile
Little Rock school enrollment varies 2371× across entities
Little Rock school enrollment ranges from 1 students (lowest) to 2,371 students (highest), a spread of 2,370 students. That ratio is an extreme outlier spread — among the widest gaps observed anywhere in this dataset. Per-school staffing and program breadth can differ sharply at opposite ends of that enrollment range, so the city average should not be treated as a typical campus.
The reported share clears the 50% majority mark. Title I operates under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), but its statutory allocation uses additional LEA-level counts and rules not represented by this average. This percentage is an economic-need context measure; it does not establish a Title I award, show dollars received, or describe how funds are distributed among campuses.
Little Rock operates 17 school districts — one of the single most fragmented governance structures in the country
Each school district has independent budgeting, hiring, and service delivery authority, and the sheer count here puts it in the extreme tail of fragmentation nationally. The fragmentation reflects historical patterns of inter-municipal boundary lines that pre-date modern city growth, students in different parts of the same city can attend different districts with different per-pupil spending, calendars, and graduation requirements. Per-region variation is largest in fragmented systems because each school district sets its own budget, contracts, and priorities without higher-level coordination above the regulatory floor.
Little Rock student-teacher ratio is 15.6:1 — near the typical range (US average ~15.7) — citywide staffing is neither unusually lean nor unusually crowded by this measure
student-teacher ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE classroom teachers against total enrollment, push-in specialists, English-language aides, special-education co-teachers, and counselors are not included in most reporting Variation between sub-units within Little Rock is typically wider than the Little Rock-aggregate figure suggests.
24 of Little Rock's 76 listed schools are charters
32% of the city's listed public-school campuses are reported as charter schools in NCES CCD. Charter status identifies a different governance arrangement; it does not establish admissions availability, academic quality, or the share of city students enrolled in those campuses. Open each school record to compare enrollment and staffing directly.
Most racially and ethnically mixed schools in Little Rock
Ranked by the Simpson student-body diversity index (0-100) from NCES race and ethnicity data, where higher means a more evenly mixed student body. It measures mix, not quality.
What do families ask about schools in Little Rock?
Which Little Rock school has the highest Resource Investment Index? ▼
Ark. School for the Blind H.S. has the highest Resource Investment Index among the Little Rock schools in this federal-data comparison at 83/100. The index summarizes reported staffing, counseling, gifted-program, and attendance inputs; it is not an academic rating.
How many schools are in Little Rock, AR? ▼
Little Rock has 76 public schools with a total enrollment of 33,662 students. 24 are charter schools. Average student-teacher ratio: 15.6:1.
Data from NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 and Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22. The Resource Investment Index uses reported student-teacher ratio,
counselor access, gifted programs, and attendance; it is not an academic rating. Cities must include at least five schools to be listed. This public-data comparison is for informational purposes:
verify current enrollment, attendance boundaries, and programs with the school district before acting. See the guide to understanding NCES data.