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Mena, Arkansas - 3 schools
An equity score of 62/100 ranks Ouachita River School District #78 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $10,894 per pupil, Ouachita River School District ranks #188 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
799
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$10,894
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Ouachita River School District operates 3 public schools serving 799 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 3 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 Polk County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $10,894 according to the NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey, in the lower half of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending. See how Arkansas compares in our national per-pupil spending analysis. The funding mix is 19.9% local, 56.7% state, and 23.5% federal, a state-revenue-heavy mix that insulates the district somewhat from local property-tax volatility, though it ties funding to state budget cycles. The district's equity score is 62/100, ranked #78 of 250 in Arkansas against a state average of 50, notably more even than the typical district in the state for how evenly funding reaches its schools.
Academic infrastructure includes 2 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (8 AP courses district-wide), a 277.9:1 student-counselor ratio, somewhat above the 250:1 ASCA recommendation, and 33.0% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 87.6% White, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Oden Schools, with a diversity index of 31.6/100.
Its largest campus is Acorn Elementary School, enrolling 321 students (44% of the district's total enrollment).
Acorn Elementary School accounts for 40.2% of all Ouachita River School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Ouachita River 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.
Ouachita River School District school enrollment varies 2.4× across entities
Ouachita River School District school enrollment ranges from 133 students (lowest) to 321 students (highest), a spread of 188 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.
Ouachita River School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 57.2% 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.
Ouachita River School District student-counselor ratio is 278:1 — 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 Ouachita River School District is typically wider than the Ouachita River School District-aggregate figure suggests.
Ouachita River School District chronic absenteeism rate is 33.0% — 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.
Comparisons are relative to Ouachita River School District's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data and the F-33 Finance Survey.
Nearby Districts in Arkansas
Top districts in the same state, compare side-by-side for enrollment, spending, and demographics.
How many schools are in Ouachita River School District?
Ouachita River School District has 3 schools, including 3 combined. Total enrollment is 799 students.
How much does Ouachita River School District spend per student?
Ouachita River School District spends $10,894 per student. The district has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #78 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Ouachita River School District?
Ouachita River School District students are 87.6% White, 4.4% Hispanic or Latino, 1.7% Asian, 0.1% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Ouachita River School District?
Ouachita River School District has an equity score of 62/100, ranking #78 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.