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Dierks, Arkansas - 2 schools
An equity score of 61/100 ranks Dierks School District #84 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,488 per pupil, Dierks School District ranks #88 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
523
Total Enrollment
2
Schools
$12,488
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Dierks School District operates 2 public schools serving 523 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 elementary, 1 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 Howard County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,488 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 35.0% local, 48.5% state, and 16.4% 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 61/100, ranked #84 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 (3 AP courses district-wide), a 270.5:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 22.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 84.5% White, 11.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% African American across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Joann Walters Elementary Sch, enrolling 288 students (53% of the district's total enrollment).
Joann Walters Elementary Sch accounts for 53.2% of all Dierks School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Dierks School District a distant remainder — means Dierks School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: elementary. 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.
Dierks School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 72.2% 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 approaching the 75% concentration-grant threshold; it does not yet unlock the extra funding tier but sits meaningfully above the baseline 50% majority mark. 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.
Dierks School District student-counselor ratio is 271:1 — 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 Dierks School District is typically wider than the Dierks School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Dierks School District chronic absenteeism rate is 22.7% — 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 Dierks School District is typically wider than the Dierks School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Dierks School District has 2 schools, including 1 elementary, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 523 students.
How much does Dierks School District spend per student?
Dierks School District spends $12,488 per student. The district has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #84 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Dierks School District?
Dierks School District students are 84.5% White, 11.7% Hispanic or Latino, 0.8% African American, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Dierks School District?
Dierks School District has an equity score of 61/100, ranking #84 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.