Mena School District

Public school district · Polk County · Arkansas · NCES district ID 0509750

Mena School District spent $13,089 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, more than 79% of the other Arkansas districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 (median $11,785). Its 5 schools enrolled 1,703 students in 2024-25; 43.7% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,556 per student, up 3.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 95% or more (Arkansas: 89.9%).

NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 · Census Bureau school finances 2023-24 · NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 · method

Spending per student among Arkansas districts of similar size

Current spending per student excludes construction and debt. The 9 districts closest to Mena in enrollment (1,654 to 1,831 students) and Mena itself.

Current spending per student, Arkansas districts closest in size to Mena, FY23Watson Chapel $14,737; Malvern $13,806; Mena $13,089; Monticello $13,025; Ozark Public Schools $11,777; Crossett $11,417; Hamburg $11,386; Westside Cons. $10,800; Academics Plus Charter School $10,462; Bauxite $9,975; State median, 1,000+ students $11,785.8k10k12k14k16kWatson Chapel$14,737Malvern$13,806Mena$13,089Monticello$13,025Ozark Public Schools$11,777Crossett$11,417Hamburg$11,386Westside Cons.$10,800Academics Plus Charter School$10,462Bauxite$9,975State median, 1,000+ students $11,785
Current spending per student, Arkansas districts closest in size to Mena, FY23Watson Chapel $14,737; Malvern $13,806; Mena $13,089; Monticello $13,025; Ozark Public Schools $11,777; Crossett $11,417; Hamburg $11,386; Westside Cons. $10,800; Academics Plus Charter School $10,462; Bauxite $9,975; State median, 1,000+ students $11,785.8k10k12k14k16kWatson Chapel$14,737Malvern$13,806Mena$13,089Monticello$13,025Ozark Public Schools$11,777Crossett$11,417Hamburg$11,386Westside Cons.$10,800Academics Plus Charter School$10,462Bauxite$9,975State median, 1,000+ students $11,785
Current spending per student, Arkansas districts closest in size to Mena, FY23Watson Chapel $14,737; Malvern $13,806; Mena $13,089; Monticello $13,025; Ozark Public Schools $11,777; Crossett $11,417; Hamburg $11,386; Westside Cons. $10,800; Academics Plus Charter School $10,462; Bauxite $9,975; State median, 1,000+ students $11,785.8k12k16kWatson Chapel$14,737Malvern$13,806Mena$13,089Monticello$13,025Ozark Public Schools$11,777Crossett$11,417Hamburg$11,386Westside Cons.$10,800Academics Plus Charter School$10,462Bauxite$9,975State median, 1,000+ students $11,785
Current spending per student, Arkansas districts closest in size to Mena, FY23Watson Chapel $14,737; Malvern $13,806; Mena $13,089; Monticello $13,025; Ozark Public Schools $11,777; Crossett $11,417; Hamburg $11,386; Westside Cons. $10,800; Academics Plus Charter School $10,462; Bauxite $9,975; State median, 1,000+ students $11,785.8k12k16kWatson Chapel$14,737Malvern$13,806Mena$13,089Monticello$13,025Ozark Public Schools$11,777Crossett$11,417Hamburg$11,386Westside Cons.$10,800Academics Plus Charter School$10,462Bauxite$9,975State median, 1,000+ students $11,785

Where the money came from

$24,656,000 in revenue: 43.7% state, 30.4% local and 26.0% federal. Total spending including $1,119,000 of capital outlay was $24,607,000, or $14,101 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.

Mena School District revenue by source, fiscal year 2022-23State $10,770,000; Local $7,484,000; Federal $6,402,000; total $24,656,000.
  • State$10,770,000 44%
  • Local$7,484,000 30%
  • Federal$6,402,000 26%

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23: current expenditures for elementary and secondary education divided by fall membership; the state median covers 123 districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).

Enrollment fell from 2022-23 to 2024-25

1,745 students in 2022-23, 1,697 students in 2023-24, 1,703 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.

Mena School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,745, 2023-24: 1,697, 2024-25: 1,70305001k1.5k2k2022-231,7452023-241,6972024-251,703
Mena School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,745, 2023-24: 1,697, 2024-25: 1,70305001k1.5k2k2022-231,7452023-241,6972024-251,703
Mena School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,745, 2023-24: 1,697, 2024-25: 1,70305001k1.5k2k2022-231,7452023-241,6972024-251,703
Mena School District enrollment by school year2022-23: 1,745, 2023-24: 1,697, 2024-25: 1,70305001k1.5k2k2022-231,7452023-241,6972024-251,703

Teachers and students per teacher

School yearStudentsTeachers (FTE)Per teacher
2022-231,745160.310.9
2023-241,697170.010.0
2024-251,703176.49.7

Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.

$6,246,000 in teacher salaries in fiscal year 2022-23, $3,579 per student

Mena School District booked $6,246,000 of teacher salaries in its 2022-23 finance report and counted 160 full-time teachers in its Common Core of Data district staff file for 2022-23 (the school files behind the staffing figures on this page count teachers separately, so the two can differ), or $38,957 of salary spending per teacher. That is more than 30 in 100 Arkansas districts with a figure (state median $42,781, 205 districts). It is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, so the result can differ widely from the average salary the district publishes (its salary schedule gives pay); benefits are left out, and states book salaries differently, so compare districts within one state. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Arkansas teacher salary at $52,486 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).

ProgramTeacher salariesShare
Regular programs$4,567,00073.1%
Special education$583,0009.3%
Vocational$466,0007.5%
Other programs$630,00010.1%

Teacher salaries per student, fiscal years 2018-19 to 2022-23

The district's teacher salary bill divided by its fall enrollment each year: $3,092 in 2018-19, $2,997 in 2019-20, $2,988 in 2020-21, $3,143 in 2021-22, $3,579 in 2022-23.

Mena School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,092, 2019-20: $2,997, 2020-21: $2,988, 2021-22: $3,143, 2022-23: $3,57901k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0922019-20$2,9972020-21$2,9882021-22$3,1432022-23$3,579
Mena School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,092, 2019-20: $2,997, 2020-21: $2,988, 2021-22: $3,143, 2022-23: $3,57901k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0922019-20$2,9972020-21$2,9882021-22$3,1432022-23$3,579
Mena School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,092, 2019-20: $2,997, 2020-21: $2,988, 2021-22: $3,143, 2022-23: $3,57901k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0922019-20$2,9972020-21$2,9882021-22$3,1432022-23$3,579
Mena School District teacher salaries per student by fiscal year2018-19: $3,092, 2019-20: $2,997, 2020-21: $2,988, 2021-22: $3,143, 2022-23: $3,57901k2k3k4k2018-19$3,0922019-20$2,9972020-21$2,9882021-22$3,1432022-23$3,579

Source: NCES F-33 school district finance survey, fiscal years 2019 to 2023: teacher salaries in regular, special, vocational and other programs (Z35 to Z38) and fall membership (V33); NCES Common Core of Data LEA staff file 2022-23, teachers (full-time equivalent).

State test results, 2021-22

In 2021-22, the students tested in Mena School District scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 48% in math, against 39.9% in reading and 38.3% in math across Arkansas. Each state writes its own test and sets its own proficiency bar, so compare these within Arkansas, not across states.

Students proficient or above, 2021-22
SubjectThis districtArkansasStudents tested
Reading and language arts45%39.9%1,005
Math48%38.3%1,006

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results 2021-22, all students, from ED Data Express (the Data Rescue Project archive; ED has no 2022-23 result for this district): ED shows district results as ranges (for example 20-24%) to protect small groups.

Graduation rate, class of 2023

95% or more of the 100 students in Mena School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 89.9% across Arkansas. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out, and counts those who earned a regular diploma by 2023. Every state computes it the same way under federal law, though each sets its own diploma requirements.

Four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rate, class of 2023
This districtArkansas
Four-year graduation rate95% or more89.9%
Students in the class10035,156

Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates 2022-23, all students, from ED Data Express: ED shows district rates as ranges (for example 90-94%) and leaves out small classes.

2 elementary schools, 795 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Holly Harshman Elementary School43819.447.7%Schoolwide program
Louise Durham Elementary School35715.051.8%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 middle school, 393 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Mena Middle School39314.146.3%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 high school, 503 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Mena High School5036.742.7%Schoolwide program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

1 other school, 12 students

SchoolStudentsPer teacherFree lunchTitle I, 2021‑22
Polk County Virtual Academy120.533.3%Eligible, no program

Source: NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25; Title I status CCD 2021-22, the last year NCES published it. All free (CEP): every student eats free under the Community Eligibility Provision, so the school reports no free-lunch count; not reported: the school sent NCES no meal count.

Contact Mena School District

Source: NCES Common Core of Data, local education agency directory 2024-25. Enrollment, boundaries and school assignment are the district's to confirm.

What to look at next about Mena School District

  1. Arkansas districts by spending per studentMena School District ranks 27 of 123 Arkansas districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($13,089).#27 of 123
  2. Every school district in ArkansasMena School District is the number 71 by size of 259 Arkansas districts, with 1,745 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#71 of 259
  3. Ozark Public SchoolsThe next larger Arkansas district: 1,777 students in fall 2022, $11,777 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,777
  4. Hamburg School DistrictThe next smaller Arkansas district: 1,691 students in fall 2022, $11,386 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,386
  5. Compare Mena School District with Ozark Public SchoolsEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
  6. Mena High School, its largest high school503 students in 2024-25, 6.7 per teacher.503
  7. Teacher salary spending across ArkansasMena School District spent $38,957 in salaries per full-time teacher in fiscal year 2022-23 (state median $42,781); spending, not a salary.$38,957
  8. Find the school district for an addressA home's district decides which public schools it can enroll in.

Source: NCES F-33 finance survey, fiscal year 2022-23 (spending per student and fall 2022 membership; ranks among the state's districts that reported them); NCES Common Core of Data 2024-25 (schools).

Questions about Mena School District

  1. How many schools and students are in Mena School District?
    5 schools were open in 2024-25 (2 elementary, 1 middle, 1 high, 1 other), enrolling 1,703 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.
  2. How much does Mena School District spend per student?
    $13,089 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), which leaves out construction and debt; the Arkansas median for districts with at least 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $11,785 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $13,556 per student, up 3.6% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).
  3. Where does Mena School District's money come from?
    $24,656,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 43.7% state, 30.4% local and 26.0% federal (NCES F-33).
  4. How many children in Mena School District live in poverty?
    The Census Bureau estimates that 477 of the 2,049 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 23.3%, were in families in poverty (Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates). It is a model-based estimate for everyone living in the district, not a count of its students; the free-meal shares in the school tables are counts of enrolled students.
  5. How much does Mena School District spend on teacher salaries?
    $6,246,000 in fiscal year 2022-23 (NCES F-33), or $3,579 per student. Divided by the 160 full-time teachers in the NCES Common Core of Data for 2022-23 that is $38,957 per teacher, more than 30 in 100 Arkansas districts (state median $42,781). That is spending, not what a teacher is paid: the salary lines and the teacher count come from different files, and the result can differ widely from the average salary a district publishes. The district's salary schedule gives pay. For pay, the National Education Association put the average Arkansas teacher salary at $52,486 in 2021-22 (NCES Digest table 211.60).
  6. How do students in Mena School District do on state tests?
    In 2021-22, the students tested in Mena School District scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 48% in math, against 39.9% in reading and 38.3% in math across Arkansas. Arkansas's own test sets what proficient means, so results compare within the state, not across states. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22.
  7. What is the graduation rate in Mena School District?
    95% or more of the 100 students in Mena School District's class of 2023 graduated within four years, against 89.9% across Arkansas. The four-year rate follows the students who started ninth grade in fall 2019, adjusted for those who moved in or out. Source: U.S. Department of Education, EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23.
  8. What is Mena School District's NCES district ID?
    0509750. Each of its schools' 12-digit NCES IDs begins with these seven digits.

Reading these figures: how to choose a school district, what Title I means and what an absenteeism rate means. They are for information and are not a substitute for the school's or district's own records.

Sources

Every federal file behind this record
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2024-25: directory, membership, staff and lunch files. nces.ed.gov
  • NCES Common Core of Data, 2021-22 school characteristics: Title I status. nces.ed.gov
  • Civil Rights Data Collection, 2021-22: AP courses, gifted programs, counselors, discipline. civilrightsdata.ed.gov
  • EDFacts, 2022-23: chronic absenteeism. ed.gov
  • EDFacts four-year adjusted-cohort graduation rates, 2022-23: the class of 2023 for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • EDFacts state assessment results, 2021-22: reading and math proficiency for the district and its state (ED Data Express). eddataexpress.ed.gov
  • NCES Digest of Education Statistics, table 211.60 (2021-22): the state's average teacher salary, from the National Education Association. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Small Area Income and Poverty Estimates, 2024: children aged 5 to 17 and those in families in poverty, by school district. census.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances, fiscal year 2023-24: per pupil current spending for 2023-24 and 2022-23. census.gov
  • NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, fiscal year 2022-23: district spending and revenue. nces.ed.gov
  • U.S. Census Bureau geocoder and TIGER school districts: the district boundary used by the district finder. census.gov

Source: U.S. Census Bureau, Annual Survey of School System Finances Per pupil current spending by school system · FY 2023-24

Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey Revenue and expenditures by district · FY 2022-23

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School directory, membership, staff and lunch files · 2024-25

Compiled from official source data by .