Enrollment
330
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Little Rock, AR
Bale Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bale Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050900001188
👥 S:T ratio 45
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bale Elementary School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #18 of 28
- elementary schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.8:1
- students per teacher
- 86.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Bale Elementary School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bale Elementary School ranks #18 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Little Rock School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050900001188 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
86.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bale Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bale Elementary School
Bale Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 330 students.
At 13.8:1, 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.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 86.6% of students eligible for free meals.
With 330 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 172 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #134, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (71%) and Hispanic or Latino (17%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 330 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students) and Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students) alongside Bale 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 Bale Elementary School compares
Bale 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 | 13.8:1 | ▲ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 86.6% | ▲ 46% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 330 | top 62% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.8:1
Leaner classes than 59% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
330
Bigger than 37% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
86.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13.8:1
students per teacher
- 1% above state mean
Top 49% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 51% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
59.1%
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
$14,597
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 330 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.2 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
African American 70.9%
Hispanic or Latino 16.7%
Two or More 5.5%
White 4.8%
Asian 0.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 70.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.4, Bale Elementary School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Bale Elementary School.
$14,597
Per student
+19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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.
How Bale Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Little Rock Southwest High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Parkview Magnet High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Don Roberts Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chicot Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bale Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar elementary 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 (~330 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bale Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bale Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Little Rock 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 Bale Elementary School
How many students attend Bale Elementary School?
Bale Elementary School has 330 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Little Rock, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bale Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bale Elementary School is 13.8:1, which is 1% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 12% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bale Elementary School?
86.6% of students at Bale Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bale Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bale Elementary School is African American at 70.9% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bale Elementary School?
Bale Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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 Bale Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Bale Elementary School ranks #18 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Bale Elementary School a good school?
Bale Elementary School earns 37/100 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 Little Rock School District?
Besides Bale Elementary School, Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students), Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students), and Parkview Magnet High School (1,072 students). See the Little Rock 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.