BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT operates 2 public schools serving 476 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 other, 1 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 446 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Ouachita County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $13,789 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 23.6% local, 53.3% state, and 23.1% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $64,724 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 68/100, ranked #54 of 250 in Arkansas against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (3 AP courses district-wide), a 223:1 student-counselor ratio that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 29.2% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 53.9% White, 35.2% African American, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Bearden High School accounts for 50.9% of all BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. A single dominant campus often anchors a district's program offerings and staffing patterns; the share helps explain why district-wide averages may not reflect the typical neighbourhood-school experience. When one entity dominates a region's footprint, its programmatic and budget decisions effectively set policy for a majority of the affected population.
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 54.7% of the population qualifies for free or reduced-price lunch
free or reduced-price lunch eligibility is the federal threshold for Title I funding allocations, established under the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015). Areas above 75% eligibility receive concentration grants on top of the basic Title I formula. Regions with eligibility this high typically draw a substantially larger federal funding share relative to their local tax base, which can either offset or reinforce existing gaps depending on allocation policy.
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT student-counselor ratio is 223:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
student-counselor ratio is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: the ratio counts FTE counselors against total enrollment — districts that contract intervention or social-emotional staff outside the counselor classification may be under-counted Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT chronic absenteeism rate is 29.2% — near the typical range (US average ~28) — aligned with the national post-pandemic baseline of roughly 28% chronic absenteeism
chronic absenteeism rate is the simplest comparative metric but it does not capture the full picture: a student is chronically absent if they miss ≥10% of enrolled days for any reason — illness, family obligations, or disengagement Variation between sub-units within BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT is typically wider than the BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT-aggregate figure suggests.
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT has 2 schools, including 1 other, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 476 students.
How much does BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT spend per student?
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT spends $13,789 per student. The district has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #54 in Arkansas.
What is the average teacher salary in BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The average teacher salary in BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT is $64,724 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Ouachita County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT?
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT students are 53.9% White, 35.2% African American, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT?
BEARDEN SCHOOL DISTRICT has an equity score of 68/100, ranking #54 out of 250 districts in Arkansas. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.