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Magnolia, Arkansas - 5 schools
An equity score of 46/100 ranks Magnolia School District #145 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,984 per pupil, Magnolia School District ranks #114 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
2,662
Total Enrollment
5
Schools
$11,984
Per-Pupil Spending
Elementary, High
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Magnolia School District operates 5 public schools serving 2,662 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 elementary, 1 high, 1 middle, 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 Columbia County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,984 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 32.3% local, 47.1% state, and 20.6% 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 46/100, ranked #145 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 5 schools offering Advanced Placement (13 AP courses district-wide), a 265.1:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 29.5% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 57.0% African American, 29.9% White, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is East Side Elementary School, with a diversity index of 59.8/100.
Its largest campus is Magnolia High School, enrolling 797 students (32% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Walker Pre-K Center, at 119 students, a 7x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Magnolia High School accounts for 29.9% of all Magnolia School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Magnolia 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.
Magnolia School District school enrollment varies 6.7× across entities
Magnolia School District school enrollment ranges from 119 students (lowest) to 797 students (highest), a spread of 678 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.
Magnolia School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 59.8% 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.
Magnolia School District student-counselor ratio is 265:1 — 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 Magnolia School District is typically wider than the Magnolia School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Magnolia School District chronic absenteeism rate is 29.5% — 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 Magnolia School District is typically wider than the Magnolia School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Magnolia School District has 5 schools, including 1 high, 2 elementary, 1 middle, 1 combined. Total enrollment is 2,662 students.
How much does Magnolia School District spend per student?
Magnolia School District spends $11,984 per student. The district has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #145 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Magnolia School District?
Magnolia School District students are 57.0% African American, 29.9% White, 6.6% Hispanic or Latino, 1.2% Asian, averaged across 5 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Magnolia School District?
Magnolia School District has an equity score of 46/100, ranking #145 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.