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Waldron, Arkansas - 4 schools
An equity score of 54/100 ranks Waldron School District #103 of 250 districts in Arkansas (state average 50). Derived live from how evenly resources are distributed across the district's schools.
At $11,617 per pupil, Waldron School District ranks #139 of 255 Arkansas districts by per-pupil spending (Arkansas districts). NCES F-33 finance data.
1,576
Total Enrollment
4
Schools
$11,617
Per-Pupil Spending
Combined, Elementary
School Types
District-Level NCES Analysis
Waldron School District operates 4 public schools serving 1,576 students, placing it among the smallest districts in Arkansas. The school portfolio breaks down into 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high 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 Scott County.
Per-pupil expenditure runs $11,617 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 18.2% local, 57.0% state, and 24.8% 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 54/100, ranked #103 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 4 schools offering Advanced Placement (6 AP courses district-wide), a 242.1:1 student-counselor ratio, that meets the ASCA-recommended benchmark, and 30.9% chronic absenteeism from the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection. Demographically, the student body averages 77.3% White, 13.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% Asian across the district's schools. Its most demographically mixed campus is Waldron High School, with a diversity index of 45.0/100.
Its largest campus is Waldron Elementary School, enrolling 648 students (43% of the district's total enrollment). Its smallest is Adventure Online Academy, at 35 students, a 19x enrollment spread across the district's campuses.
Waldron Elementary School accounts for 41.1% of all Waldron School District student enrollment
That dominant concentration means Waldron 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.
Waldron School District school enrollment varies 19× across entities
Waldron School District school enrollment ranges from 35 students (lowest) to 648 students (highest), a spread of 613 students. That spread reflects typical mixed-portfolio variation between specialty programs and large neighbourhood schools. Per-school staffing ratios, programme availability, and capital-renovation cycles often diverge inside the same district based on enrollment shape.
Waldron School District has higher-than-average Title I eligibility — 62.0% 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.
Waldron School District student-counselor ratio is 242:1 — low (typically associated with meeting or exceeding the American School Counselor Association (ASCA) recommended 250:1 benchmark, which correlates with stronger college and career counseling capacity)
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 Lower values often correlate with smaller scale and population characteristics rather than higher resource budgets per se.
Waldron School District chronic absenteeism rate is 30.9% — 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.
Waldron School District has 4 schools, including 2 combined, 1 elementary, 1 high. Total enrollment is 1,576 students.
How much does Waldron School District spend per student?
Waldron School District spends $11,617 per student. The district has an equity score of 54/100, ranking #103 in Arkansas.
What is the demographic composition of Waldron School District?
Waldron School District students are 77.3% White, 13.9% Hispanic or Latino, 1.6% Asian, 0.6% African American, averaged across 4 schools. Source: NCES CCD Membership 2024-25.
What is the equity score for Waldron School District?
Waldron School District has an equity score of 54/100, ranking #103 out of 250 districts in Arkansas.