Enrollment
321
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Mena, AR
Acorn Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Acorn Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050007300001
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 43
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Acorn Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #3 of 4
- schools in Mena · Resource Index
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 57.9%
- free-lunch eligible
Acorn Elementary School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Acorn Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Mena, AR.
School address
District: Ouachita River School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050007300001 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.9%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Acorn Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Acorn Elementary School
Acorn Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Mena, Arkansas, enrolling 321 students.
At 12.8:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arkansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.9% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 321 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 191 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #71.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 287 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Ouachita River School District also operates Acorn High School (281 students) and Oden Schools (133 students) alongside Acorn Elementary School.
Sourced from NCES CCD, CRDC, and F-33 (federal records, not a quality verdict). How we source and compute this.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Acorn Elementary School compares
Acorn Elementary School on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.9% | ▼ 2% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 63% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
321
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.9%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 41% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$10,894
per pupil, district-wide
- below Arkansas avg of $12,251
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 287 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
13
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
- Common Core of Data (June 2026): enrollment, staffing, and the student-teacher ratio above.
- Civil Rights Data Collection: discipline counts and program access (AP, gifted, special education).
- F-33 School District Finance Survey: the district-wide per-pupil spending figures below.
Three separate federal collections, each on its own reporting cadence - which is why this school's numbers line up on a consistent basis against every other school and state on this site, rather than mixing figures pulled from different survey years.
Student demographics
White 89.4%
Two or More 4.0%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
African American 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 89.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 19.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 19.8, Acorn Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ouachita River School District, which includes Acorn Elementary School.
$10,894
Per student
-11%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 19.9%
State 56.7%
Federal 23.5%
Source: NCES F-33 School District Finance Survey District-level finance · FY 2021-22 Per-pupil expenditure reflects the district-wide average. Individual school budgets are not reported at the federal level.
How Acorn Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Acorn High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Oden Schools | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Acorn Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 281
- Students per teacher
- 5.7:1
- Resource Index
- 55/100
- Enrollment
- 133
- Students per teacher
- 5.5:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools statewide
Matched by enrollment size and by staffing ratio across all of Arkansas, not just this city - a different peer set than the local comparisons above.
Similar enrollment (~321 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Acorn Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Acorn Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ouachita River School District's spending and staffing shape this school. District profile
- Confirm current enrollment and boundaries with the school. Choosing guide
Federal record (CCD 2024-25, CRDC 2021-22) - PlainSchools assigns no subjective rating; the composite quality score is a transparent, reproducible index computed from this cited federal data.
Frequently asked questions about Acorn Elementary School
How many students attend Acorn Elementary School?
Acorn Elementary School has 321 students enrolled. It is a public school in Mena, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Acorn Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Acorn Elementary School is 12.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Acorn Elementary School?
57.9% of students at Acorn Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Acorn Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Acorn Elementary School is White at 89.4% of enrollment, in Mena, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Acorn Elementary School?
Acorn Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Acorn Elementary School rank among schools in Mena?
By Resource Investment Index, Acorn Elementary School ranks #3 of 4 schools in Mena, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Mena on the city page.
Is Acorn Elementary School a good school?
Acorn Elementary School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. This is a resource snapshot, not an academic rating; see the Resource Investment Index question above for what the number does and doesn't measure.
What other schools are in Ouachita River School District?
Besides Acorn Elementary School, Ouachita River School District also operates Acorn High School (281 students) and Oden Schools (133 students). See the Ouachita River School District district page for the complete list.
Related tools
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. Each school's figures reflect its most recent NCES/CRDC submission on file. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of June 2026.