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Gurdon, Arkansas - 3 schools
An equity score of 56/100 ranks Gurdon School District #97 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $17,563 per pupil, Gurdon School District ranks #9 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
645
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$17,563
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Gurdon School District operates 3 public schools serving 645 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 1 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 Clark County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $17,563 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, among the top 26 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arkansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 46.1% local, 38.5% state, and 15.4% 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 56/100, ranked #97 of 250 in Arkansas against a state average of 50, in line with the typical spread seen across the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 319:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 27.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 58.2% White, 22.1% African American, 18.4% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools.
Its largest campus is Gurdon Primary School, enrolling 365 students (46% of the district's total enrollment).
Gurdon Primary School accounts for 46.4% of all Gurdon School District student enrollment
That is an overwhelming concentration, leaving the rest of Gurdon School District a distant remainder — means Gurdon 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.
Gurdon School District school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities
Gurdon School District school enrollment ranges from 170 students (lowest) to 365 students (highest), a spread of 195 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.
Gurdon School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 58.5% 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.
Gurdon School District student-counselor ratio is 319:1 — 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 Gurdon School District is typically wider than the Gurdon School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Gurdon School District chronic absenteeism rate is 27.0% — 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 Gurdon School District is typically wider than the Gurdon School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Gurdon School District has 3 schools, including 1 combined, 1 high, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 645 students.
How much does Gurdon School District spend per student?
Gurdon School District spends $17,563 per student. The district has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #97 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Gurdon School District?
Gurdon School District students are 58.2% White, 22.1% African American, 18.4% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Gurdon School District?
Gurdon School District has an equity score of 56/100, ranking #97 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.