Enrollment
316
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Barling, AR
Barling Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Barling Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050633000352
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Barling Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Arkansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.6:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 55.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 316
- students enrolled
Barling Elementary School has class sizes larger than 84% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050633000352 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Barling Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Barling Elementary School
Barling Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Barling, Arkansas, enrolling 316 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.6:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.5% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 316 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.
Against 206 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #145.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and Hispanic or Latino (28%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 62/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 351 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 26.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Fort Smith School District also operates Northside High School (2,231 students) and Southside High School (2,053 students) alongside Barling 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 Barling Elementary School compares
Barling 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 | 17.6:1 | ▲ 29% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.5% | ▼ 6% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 316 | top 64% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.6:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
316
Bigger than 35% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
17.6:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 84% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 16% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$12,206
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.3 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 52.8%
Hispanic or Latino 28.2%
Two or More 13.3%
Asian 4.1%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.9%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 52.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 62.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 62.2, Barling 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 Fort Smith School District, which includes Barling Elementary School.
$12,206
Per student
0%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 44.3%
Federal 20.2%
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 Barling Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ramsey Junior High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| L. a. Chaffin Jr. High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dora Kimmons Jr. High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Barling Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,231
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,053
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~316 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Barling Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Barling Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Smith 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 Barling Elementary School
How many students attend Barling Elementary School?
Barling Elementary School has 316 students enrolled. It is a public school in Barling, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barling Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Barling Elementary School is 17.6:1, which is 29% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 12% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Barling Elementary School?
55.5% of students at Barling Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Barling Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Barling Elementary School is White at 52.8% of enrollment, in Barling, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 62.2/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barling Elementary School?
Barling Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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).
Is Barling Elementary School a good school?
Barling Elementary School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 84% of Arkansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Fort Smith School District?
Besides Barling Elementary School, Fort Smith School District also operates Northside High School (2,231 students), Southside High School (2,053 students), and Ramsey Junior High School (801 students). See the Fort Smith 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.