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, or
report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.
Cotter, Arkansas - 2 schools
An equity score of 60/100 ranks Cotter School District #85 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,605 per pupil, Cotter School District ranks #203 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
728
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$10,605
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Cotter School District operates 2 public schools serving 728 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined 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 Baxter County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,605 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arkansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 24.7% local, 54.2% state, and 21.1% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 60/100, ranked #85 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 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 349:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 20.3% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.7% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Amanda Gist Elementary School, enrolling 374 students (54% of the district's total enrollment).
Amanda Gist Elementary School accounts for 51.4% of all Cotter School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Cotter School District a distant remainder — means Cotter School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: combined. 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.
Cotter School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 100.0% 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). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding 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.
Cotter School District student-counselor ratio is 349:1 — near the typical range (US average ~408) — within the typical range for U.S. public districts
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 Variation between sub-units within Cotter School District is typically wider than the Cotter School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Cotter School District chronic absenteeism rate is 20.3% — 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 Cotter School District is typically wider than the Cotter School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Cotter School District has 2 schools, including 2 combined. Total enrollment is 728 students.
How much does Cotter School District spend per student?
Cotter School District spends $10,605 per student. The district has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #85 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Cotter School District?
Cotter School District students are 94.7% White, 2.5% Hispanic or Latino, 1.0% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Cotter School District?
Cotter School District has an equity score of 60/100, ranking #85 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.