Enrollment
4,575
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050041701632 Charter school
Arkansas Connections Academy High — Bentonville, AR
Federal NCES profile for Arkansas Connections Academy High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 39/100.
👥 Class size 0
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 88
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: Arkansas Connections Academy · 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)
77.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
42:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+209% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Arkansas Connections Academy High 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
Arkansas Connections Academy High reports 4,575 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 77.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 42:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 209% 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 164% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 29.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 51% below the Arkansas average and 44% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 915 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 5.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Arkansas Connections Academy spends $7,519 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.0% from local sources (property taxes), 93.3% from the state, and 6.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Arkansas Connections Academy High 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 | 42:1 | ▲ 209% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.1% | ▼ 51% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 4,575 | top 100% | — | — |
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
29.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 51% 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
42:1
students per teacher
— 209% above state mean
Top 100% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 0% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
5.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$7,519
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
Counselors5.0 FTE
Per 915 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 4,575 Top 100% in Arkansas — larger than 0% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 77.0
Students per teacher 42:1 +209% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 29.1% -51% vs state
NCES ID 050041701632
Student demographics
White 70.4%
African American 12.3%
Hispanic or Latino 8.6%
Two or More 7.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Asian 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 70.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 5.0
Students per counselor 915:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 5.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Arkansas Connections Academy, which includes Arkansas Connections Academy High.
$7,519
Per student
-47%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-61%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 0.0%
State 93.3%
Federal 6.7%
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.
Similar other schools in Bentonville
2 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 Arkansas Connections Academy High
How many students attend Arkansas Connections Academy High?
Arkansas Connections Academy High has 4,575 students enrolled. It is a other school in BENTONVILLE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Arkansas Connections Academy High?
The student-teacher ratio at Arkansas Connections Academy High is 42:1, which is 209% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 164% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Arkansas Connections Academy High?
29.1% of students at Arkansas Connections Academy High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Arkansas Connections Academy High?
The largest demographic group at Arkansas Connections Academy High is White at 70.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in BENTONVILLE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Arkansas Connections Academy High?
Arkansas Connections Academy High has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.