Blytheville School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, the data changelog, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.

Blytheville, Arkansas - 4 schools

An equity score of 70/100 ranks Blytheville School District #49 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,526 per pupil, Blytheville School District ranks #50 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

1,581
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$14,526
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Blytheville School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,581 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 high, 1 elementary schools, a small enough portfolio that most families will interact with nearly every campus in the district at some point. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Mississippi County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,526 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the upper half of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arkansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 28.5% local, 38.5% state, and 33.1% federal, a balanced mix across local, state, and federal sources, spreading budget risk across funding cycles rather than concentrating it in one. The district's equity score is 70/100, ranked #49 of 250 in Arkansas against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.

Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 193.4:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 70.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 81.0% African American, 10.5% White, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Blytheville Middle School, with a diversity index of 35.5/100.

Its largest campus is Blytheville High School, enrolling 369 students (31% of the district's total enrollment).

Enrollment across the district's NCES-reporting campuses fell 19.7% between 2022-23 and 2023-24 (1,581 to 1,269 students), and the student-teacher ratio tightened by 1.2 students per teacher as staffing held steadier than enrollment, per the NCES Common Core of Data annual universe files.

Of the district's $24,110,000 in reported FY2023 expenditures, 41.8% went to instruction, 48.4% to support services, and 2.5% to capital outlay, support-services-heavy relative to typical districts, reflecting spending on transportation, administration, or student services. Figures come from the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey's function-level breakdown, not the aggregate per-pupil figure above.

Blytheville High School accounts for 23.3% of all Blytheville School District student enrollment

That concentration means Blytheville School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the largest entity. Grade band: high. The share measures enrollment concentration only; it does not establish how the district allocates programs, capital, or staff. Enrollment-weighted aggregates give this entity more weight than any smaller peer, while an unweighted entity average treats every record equally.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Blytheville School District school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities

Blytheville School District school enrollment ranges from 172 students (lowest) to 369 students (highest), a spread of 197 students. That relatively narrow ratio reflects an unusually homogeneous campus portfolio, most districts have a wider mix of school sizes. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Blytheville School District reports 99.1% free-lunch eligibility

The reported share is above 87.5%, so economic need is widespread across the measured student population. 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data

Blytheville School District student-counselor ratio is 193:1 — 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.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Blytheville School District chronic absenteeism rate is 70.7% — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

33.1%
Federal
38.5%
State
28.5%
Local

Funding Equity

70
Equity Score
49 / 250
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 4 schools in Blytheville School District.

White 10.5%
Hispanic or Latino 5.6%
African American 81.0%
Asian 0.7%
Multiracial 2.4%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 32.8/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Blytheville School District's schools, below the Arkansas average of 40.4.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Blytheville Middle School 35.5
  2. 2 Blytheville Elementary School 35.4
  3. 3 Blytheville Primary School 34.3
  4. 4 Blytheville High School 26.2

Programs & Resources

1 / 4
Schools with AP
7 AP courses total
193.4:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
70.7%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Blytheville School District

School Enrollment
Blytheville High School
369
Blytheville Primary School
343
Blytheville Elementary School
307
Blytheville Middle School
172

How Blytheville School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arkansas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Waldron School District Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded
Trumann School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Stuttgart School District Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Lonoke School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Founders Classical Academies of Arkansas Similar size Lower spending Less locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Blytheville School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.

Nearby Districts in Arkansas

Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.

Springdale School District
22,745 students · 29 schools · $12,146/pupil
Compare vs Blytheville School District →
Little Rock School District
21,456 students · 40 schools · $15,959/pupil
Compare vs Blytheville School District →
Bentonville School District
18,674 students · 24 schools · $12,377/pupil
Compare vs Blytheville School District →
Rogers School District
15,964 students · 23 schools · $11,519/pupil
Compare vs Blytheville School District →
Fort Smith School District
14,291 students · 27 schools · $12,459/pupil
Compare vs Blytheville School District →

Nationwide districts with similar enrollment or spending

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by per-pupil expenditure, not the same-state lists above.

Compare Blytheville School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Springdale School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Blytheville School District?

Blytheville School District has 4 schools, including 1 high, 2 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 1,581 students.

How much does Blytheville School District spend per student?

Blytheville School District spends $14,526 per student. The district has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #49 in Arkansas.

What is the demographic composition of Blytheville School District?

Blytheville School District students are 81.0% African American, 10.5% White, 5.6% Hispanic or Latino, 0.7% Asian, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Blytheville School District?

Blytheville School District has an equity score of 70/100, ranking #49 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.