Enrollment
722
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 050225000005
Alma Middle School — Alma, AR
Federal NCES profile for Alma Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 26
📋 Attendance 34
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Alma School District · Arkansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
60.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alma Middle School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Alma Middle School reports 722 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 60.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 12% below the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 25% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 35.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% below the Arkansas average and 32% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 370 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Alma School District spends $12,494 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.5% from local sources (property taxes), 57.2% from the state, and 17.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Alma Middle School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arkansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.1% | ▼ 41% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 722 | top 89% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
35.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.9:1
students per teacher
— 12% below state mean
Top 30% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 70% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
26.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$12,494
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 370 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
178
in-school suspensions + 54 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 32.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 722 Top 89% in Arkansas — larger than 11% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 60.0
Students per teacher 11.9:1 -12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 35.1% -41% vs state
NCES ID 050225000005
Student demographics
White 82.4%
Two or More 8.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.4%
African American 1.5%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 82.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.9
Students per counselor 370:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.5%
In-school suspensions 178
Out-of-school suspensions 54
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Alma School District, which includes Alma Middle School.
$12,494
Per student
-12%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-36%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 25.5%
State 57.2%
Federal 17.4%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 981
- Students per teacher
- 9.2:1
- Enrollment
- 704
- Students per teacher
- 19.5:1
- Enrollment
- 685
- Students per teacher
- 20.1:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Alma Middle School
How many students attend Alma Middle School?
Alma Middle School has 722 students enrolled. It is a middle school in ALMA, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alma Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alma Middle School is 11.9:1, which is 12% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alma Middle School?
35.1% of students at Alma Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alma Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Alma Middle School is White at 82.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in ALMA, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alma Middle School?
Alma Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.