Enrollment
703
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 051161000883
Alma Spikes Elementary School — Pocahontas, AR
Federal NCES profile for Alma Spikes Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 32/100.
👥 Class size 32
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 45
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: Pocahontas 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)
38.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+25% 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
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 Spikes Elementary School reports 703 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 38.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 25% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 54.6% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 8% below the Arkansas average and 5% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 391 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 22.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Pocahontas School District spends $11,108 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.6% from local sources (property taxes), 57.1% from the state, and 16.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F), 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 Spikes Elementary 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 | 17:1 | ▲ 25% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 54.6% | ▼ 8% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 703 | top 88% | — | — |
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
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
17:1
students per teacher
— 25% above state mean
Top 80% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 20% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.0%
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
$11,108
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
Counselors1.8 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
Enrollment 703 Top 88% in Arkansas — larger than 12% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 38.0
Students per teacher 17:1 +25% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 54.6% -8% vs state
NCES ID 051161000883
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.
Programs & staff
Counselors (FTE) 1.8
Students per counselor 391:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 22.0%
In-school suspensions 45
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Pocahontas School District, which includes Alma Spikes Elementary School.
$11,108
Per student
-22%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 456
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 4.7:1
- Enrollment
- 402
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
Similar other schools in Pocahontas
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Spikes Elementary School
How many students attend Alma Spikes Elementary School?
Alma Spikes Elementary School has 703 students enrolled. It is a other 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 17:1, which is 25% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 7% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in POCAHONTAS, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Alma Spikes Elementary School?
Alma Spikes Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 32/100 (F) 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.