Searcy County School District

Every figure on PlainSchools is rendered directly from the source NCES, CRDC and F-33 federal records, no number is typed in by an editor. District totals are aggregated directly from the schools reporting under this district in the source records. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.

Marshall, Arkansas - 3 schools

An equity score of 80/100 ranks Searcy County School District #10 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.

At $14,792 per pupil, Searcy County School District ranks #32 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.

841
Total Enrollment
3
Schools
$14,792
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types

District-Level NCES Analysis

Searcy County School District operates 3 public schools serving 841 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary 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 Searcy County.

Per-pupil expenditure runs $14,792 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 22.1% local, 49.7% state, and 28.3% 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 80/100, ranked #10 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 1 of 3 schools offering Advanced Placement (4 AP courses district-wide), a 496:1 student-counselor ratio, above both the ASCA benchmark and the roughly 408:1 national average, and 21.7% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 94.1% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Marshall Elementary School, with a diversity index of 12.7/100.

Its largest campus is Marshall High School, enrolling 353 students (44% of the district's total enrollment).

Marshall High School accounts for 42.0% of all Searcy County School District student enrollment

That dominant concentration means Searcy County 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Searcy County School District school enrollment varies 2.1× across entities

Searcy County School District school enrollment ranges from 170 students (lowest) to 353 students (highest), a spread of 183 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.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data NCES Common Core of Data

Searcy County School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 98.9% 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). Eligibility here is a supermajority of the population — well past the 75% concentration-grant threshold that unlocks extra funding 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.

Source: ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system ESSA Title I Part A; ED EDFacts file system

Searcy County School District student-counselor ratio is 496:1 — well above typical (typically associated with unusually large scale or acute resource constraints)

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 Values this far above typical often signal acute resource constraints or a structurally different scale than most peers — worth reading alongside the underlying counts, not the ratio alone.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection NCES Civil Rights Data Collection

Searcy County School District chronic absenteeism rate is 21.7% — 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 Searcy County School District is typically wider than the Searcy County School District-aggregate figure suggests.

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22 NCES Civil Rights Data Collection 2021-22

Where does the funding come from?

28.3%
Federal
49.7%
State
22.1%
Local

Funding Equity

80
Equity Score
10 / 250
State Rank
50
State Average

This district scores well on funding equity, with balanced funding sources and good resource allocation.

Student Demographics

Average demographic composition across 3 schools in Searcy County School District.

White 94.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.8%
Multiracial 2.6%

Source: NCES CCD School Membership 2024-25.

Student-body diversity

Average diversity index 11.3/100

Average Simpson diversity index across Searcy County School District's schools, below the Arkansas average of 40.4.

Most mixed schools

  1. 1 Marshall Elementary School 12.7
  2. 2 Leslie Elementary School 11.3
  3. 3 Marshall High School 9.8

Programs & Resources

1 / 3
Schools with AP
4 AP courses total
496:1
Student-Counselor Ratio
21.7%
Chronically Absent

Source: NCES Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) 2021-22.

Schools in Searcy County School District

School Enrollment
Marshall High School
353
Marshall Elementary School
284
Leslie Elementary School
170

How Searcy County School District Compares to Similar-Size Districts

The Arkansas districts closest to this one in total enrollment.

District Enrollment Spending Funding Mix
Lavaca School District Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Jessieville School District Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Parkers Chapel School Dist. Similar size Lower spending More locally funded
Piggott School District Similar size Lower spending Similar funding mix
Corning School District Similar size Lower spending More locally funded

Comparisons are relative to Searcy County 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.

Springdale School District
22,745 students · 29 schools · $11,376/pupil
Compare vs Searcy County School District →
Little Rock School District
21,456 students · 40 schools · $14,597/pupil
Compare vs Searcy County School District →
Bentonville School District
18,674 students · 24 schools · $11,698/pupil
Compare vs Searcy County School District →
Rogers School District
15,964 students · 23 schools · $10,977/pupil
Compare vs Searcy County School District →
Fort Smith School District
14,291 students · 27 schools · $12,206/pupil
Compare vs Searcy County School District →

Compare Searcy County School District

See how this district compares to others in enrollment, spending, demographics, and academic resources.

Compare vs Springdale School District →

Frequently Asked Questions

How many schools are in Searcy County School District?

Searcy County School District has 3 schools, including 2 combined, 1 elementary. Total enrollment is 841 students.

How much does Searcy County School District spend per student?

Searcy County School District spends $14,792 per student. The district has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #10 in Arkansas.

What is the demographic composition of Searcy County School District?

Searcy County School District students are 94.1% White, 2.8% Hispanic or Latino, 0.4% Asian, 0.1% African American, averaged across 3 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.

What is the equity score for Searcy County School District?

Searcy County School District has an equity score of 80/100, ranking #10 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.