Enrollment
703
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Pocahontas, AR
Alma Spikes Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Alma Spikes Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 051161000883
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Alma Spikes Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Arkansas schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Pocahontas · Resource Index
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 54.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Alma Spikes Elementary School has class sizes larger than 88% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Alma Spikes Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Pocahontas, AR.
School address
District: Pocahontas School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051161000883 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
54.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-8% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Alma Spikes Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Alma Spikes Elementary School
Alma Spikes Elementary School is a higher-need, large combined-grade school in Pocahontas, Arkansas, enrolling 703 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.5:1 is larger than about 88% of Arkansas schools and 36% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 54.6% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 703 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 165 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #144, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander (12%) (diversity index 38/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 391 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
The surrounding Pocahontas School District spends $9,392 per pupil, 23% below the Arkansas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 16.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Pocahontas School District also operates Pocahontas Junior High School (456 students) and Pocahontas High School (410 students) alongside Alma Spikes 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 Alma Spikes Elementary School compares
Alma Spikes 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 36% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.6% | ▼ 8% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 703 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.5:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
703
Bigger than 80% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
54.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 8% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
- 36% above state mean
Top 88% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$9,392
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
Counselors1.8 FTE
Per 391 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
45
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.4 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 77.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 12.4%
Two or More 4.7%
Hispanic or Latino 4.0%
African American 0.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 77.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 38.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 38.0, Alma Spikes Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pocahontas School District, which includes Alma Spikes Elementary School.
$9,392
Per student
-23%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 26.6%
State 57.1%
Federal 16.3%
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 Alma Spikes Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pocahontas Junior High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Pocahontas High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| M.D. Williams Intermediate School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Alma Spikes Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 4.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
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 (~703 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Alma Spikes Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Alma Spikes Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Pocahontas 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 Alma Spikes Elementary School
How many students attend Alma Spikes Elementary School?
Alma Spikes Elementary School has 703 students enrolled. It is a public school in Pocahontas, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Alma Spikes Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Alma Spikes Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 36% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Alma Spikes Elementary School?
54.6% of students at Alma Spikes Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Alma Spikes Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Alma Spikes Elementary School is White at 77.5% of enrollment, in Pocahontas, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alma Spikes Elementary School?
Alma Spikes Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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 Alma Spikes Elementary School rank among public schools in Pocahontas?
By Resource Investment Index, Alma Spikes Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Pocahontas, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Pocahontas on the city page.
Is Alma Spikes Elementary School a good school?
Alma Spikes Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Arkansas schools. 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 Pocahontas School District?
Besides Alma Spikes Elementary School, Pocahontas School District also operates Pocahontas Junior High School (456 students), Pocahontas High School (410 students), and M.D. Williams Intermediate School (402 students). See the Pocahontas 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.