Palestine-Wheatley School District
Listed by NCES as Palestine-Wheatley Sch. Dist. (district ID 0500051)
Public school district · St. Francis County · Arkansas · NCES district ID 0500051
Palestine-Wheatley School District spent $12,311 per student on current operations in fiscal year 2022-23, below the middle: 65% of the other Arkansas districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 spent more (median $13,179). Its 2 schools enrolled 826 students in 2024-25; 60.9% of its revenue came from the state. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,880 per student, down 3.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year). Its four-year graduation rate for the class of 2023 was 90% 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 Palestine-Wheatley in enrollment (752 to 805 students) and Palestine-Wheatley itself.
Where the money came from
$10,358,000 in revenue: 60.9% state, 19.7% local and 19.3% federal. Total spending including $2,231,000 of capital outlay was $12,051,000, or $15,550 per student; the figure above leaves capital out.
- State$6,312,000 61%
- Local$2,042,000 20%
- Federal$2,004,000 19%
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 132 districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022. Revenue by source (TOTALREV, TFEDREV, TSTREV, TLOCREV).
Enrollment rose from 2022-23 to 2024-25
775 students in 2022-23, 815 students in 2023-24, 826 students in 2024-25, counted across the schools that reported each year.
Teachers and students per teacher
| School year | Students | Teachers (FTE) | Per teacher |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2022-23 | 775 | 87.0 | 8.9 |
| 2023-24 | 815 | 109.3 | 7.5 |
| 2024-25 | 826 | 106.7 | 7.7 |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data membership and staff files, 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25; sums over the schools reporting each year.
State test results, 2021-22
In 2021-22, the students tested in Palestine-Wheatley School District scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 29% 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.
| Subject | This district | Arkansas | Students tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reading and language arts | 45% | 39.9% | 474 |
| Math | 29% | 38.3% | 474 |
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
90% or more of the 55 students in Palestine-Wheatley 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.
| This district | Arkansas | |
|---|---|---|
| Four-year graduation rate | 90% or more | 89.9% |
| Students in the class | 55 | 35,156 |
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.
1 elementary school, 448 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palestine-Wheatley Elementary School | 448 | 15.0 | 99.3% | 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, 378 students
| School | Students | Per teacher | Free lunch | Title I, 2021‑22 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Palestine-Wheatley Senior High | 378 | 4.9 | 99.2% | 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 Palestine-Wheatley School District
- Website: pwsd.k12.ar.us
- Phone: (870) 581-2646
- Office: 7950 Hwy. 70 West, Palestine, AR 72372
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 Palestine-Wheatley School District
- Arkansas districts by spending per studentPalestine-Wheatley School District ranks 86 of 132 Arkansas districts with fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 on current spending per student in fiscal year 2022-23 ($12,311).#86 of 132
- Every school district in ArkansasPalestine-Wheatley School District is the number 157 by size of 259 Arkansas districts, with 775 students in fall 2022 (F-33).#157 of 259
- Two Rivers School DistrictThe next larger Arkansas district: 783 students in fall 2022, $13,635 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$13,635
- Riverside School DistrictThe next smaller Arkansas district: 774 students in fall 2022, $11,289 per student in fiscal year 2022-23.$11,289
- Compare Palestine-Wheatley School District with Two Rivers School DistrictEnrollment, spending, revenue sources and schools, side by side.
- Palestine-Wheatley Senior High, its largest high school378 students in 2024-25, 4.9 per teacher.378
- 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 Palestine-Wheatley School District
How many schools and students are in Palestine-Wheatley School District?
2 schools were open in 2024-25 (1 elementary, 1 high), enrolling 826 students, according to the NCES Common Core of Data.How much does Palestine-Wheatley School District spend per student?
$12,311 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 fewer than 1,000 students in fall 2022 is $13,179 and the U.S. figure is $16,260. Census Bureau figures for 2023-24 put it at $11,880 per student, down 3.5% on the year before (U.S. $17,619 that year).Where does Palestine-Wheatley School District's money come from?
$10,358,000 in revenue in fiscal year 2022-23: 60.9% state, 19.7% local and 19.3% federal (NCES F-33).How many children in Palestine-Wheatley School District live in poverty?
The Census Bureau estimates that 47 of the 292 children aged 5 to 17 living within the district's boundaries in 2024, 16.1%, 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.How do students in Palestine-Wheatley School District do on state tests?
In 2021-22, the students tested in Palestine-Wheatley School District scored proficient or above: 45% in reading and 29% 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.What is the graduation rate in Palestine-Wheatley School District?
90% or more of the 55 students in Palestine-Wheatley 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.What is Palestine-Wheatley School District's NCES district ID?
0500051. 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
- 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