HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. operates 2 public schools serving 1,012 students, placing it among the smaller districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 other schools, giving families a clear picture of grade-band coverage before they move, rent, or enrol. Aggregated across those campuses, enrollment totals 978 pupils using the NCES Common Core of Data (CCD) 2022-23 release, and the district is geographically located in Phillips County County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $16,504 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, which aggregates every revenue and spending line reported under federal accounting standards. The funding mix is 26.8% local, 42.4% state, and 30.8% federal — a breakdown that matters because districts leaning heavily on local revenue are more exposed to property-tax swings, while higher federal shares typically track Title I concentration. Average teacher compensation clocks in at $65,892 per NCES F-33, a signal of the district's ability to recruit and retain staff against neighbouring districts. The district's equity score — 72/100, ranked #42 of 250 in Arkansas against a state average of 50 — measures how evenly funding reaches schools within its boundaries.
Academic infrastructure includes 1 of 2 schools offering Advanced Placement (7 AP courses district-wide), a 354.3:1 student-counselor ratio, above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 16.6% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 93.4% African American, 3.0% White, 1.1% Asian across the district's schools.
J.F. Wahl Elementary School accounts for 55.1% of all HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. student enrollment
That concentration — well above the 8.4% national median for largest-entity share — means HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.-wide averages can mask substantial variation outside the dominant entity. Grade band: other. 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.
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. 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). Areas above 75% eligibility — including this one — 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.
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. student-counselor ratio is 354:1 — 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.
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. chronic absenteeism rate is 16.6% — 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 HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. is typically wider than the HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.-aggregate figure suggests.
How many schools are in HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.?
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. has 2 schools, including 2 other. Total enrollment is 1,012 students.
How much does HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. spend per student?
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. spends $16,504 per student. The district has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #42 in Arkansas.
What is the average teacher salary in HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.?
The average teacher salary in HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. is $65,892 per year, according to the NCES CCD F-33 Finance Survey.
What is the average rent near HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.?
The HUD Fair Market Rent for a 2-bedroom in Phillips County County is $N/A/month (2026). This affects housing affordability for families in the district.
What is the demographic composition of HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.?
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. students are 93.4% African American, 3.0% White, 1.1% Asian, 0.9% Hispanic or Latino, averaged across 2 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST.?
HELENA/ W.HELENA SCHOOL DIST. has an equity score of 72/100, ranking #42 out of 250 districts in Arkansas. This score measures resource distribution fairness across schools in the district.