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Fort Smith, Arkansas - 27 schools
An equity score of 38/100 ranks Fort Smith School District #182 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $12,206 per pupil, Fort Smith School District ranks #100 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
14,291
Total Enrollment
27
Schools
$12,206
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Middle
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Fort Smith School District operates 27 public schools serving 14,291 students, placing it in the mid-size range in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 19 combined, 4 middle, 2 high, 2 elementary schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. These enrollment and school figures come from the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2024-25 release, and the district is based in Sebastian County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $12,206 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 35.4% local, 44.3% state, and 20.2% 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 38/100, ranked #182 of 250 in Arkansas against a state average of 50, notably less even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 27 schools offering Advanced Placement (24 AP courses district-wide), a 354.6:1 student-counselor ratio, well above the ASCA benchmark though still under the roughly 408:1 national average, and 31.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 37.0% White, 35.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% African American across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Bonneville Elementary School, with a diversity index of 74.5/100.
Its largest campus is Northside High School, enrolling 2,231 students (16% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Belle Point Alternative Center, at 39 students, a 57x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Northside High School accounts for 15.6% of all Fort Smith School District student enrollment
That concentration means Fort Smith School District-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: high. 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.
Fort Smith School District school enrollment varies 57× across entities
Fort Smith School District school enrollment ranges from 39 students (lowest) to 2,231 students (highest), a spread of 2,192 students. That ratio is among the widest observed and reflects extreme enrollment heterogeneity, the district operates both small specialty programs and large comprehensive campuses inside a single budgeting unit. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Fort Smith School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 63.4% 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.
Fort Smith School District student-counselor ratio is 355:1 — high (typically associated with staffing constraints that limit per-student counselor time; CRDC data shows higher ratios cluster in larger urban systems)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
Fort Smith School District chronic absenteeism rate is 31.7% — high (typically associated with higher-than-average disruption; recent CRDC data showed elevated rates persisting after pandemic-era schooling changes)
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 Higher values may reflect larger urban scale or recent resource constraints that have widened the gap.
How many schools are in Fort Smith School District?
Fort Smith School District has 27 schools, including 2 high, 4 middle, 19 combined, 2 elementary. Total enrollment is 14,291 students.
How much does Fort Smith School District spend per student?
Fort Smith School District spends $12,206 per student. The district has an equity score of 38/100, ranking #182 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Fort Smith School District?
Fort Smith School District students are 37.0% White, 35.3% Hispanic or Latino, 10.3% African American, 4.1% Asian, averaged across 27 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Fort Smith School District?
Fort Smith School District has an equity score of 38/100, ranking #182 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.