Enrollment
316
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050633000352
Barling Elementary School — Barling, AR
Federal NCES profile for Barling Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 30
📋 Attendance 34
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: Fort Smith 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+35% 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
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
Barling Elementary School reports 316 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% 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 15% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 55.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 6% below the Arkansas average and 7% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 351 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 26.3% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fort Smith School District spends $15,628 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.4% from local sources (property taxes), 44.3% from the state, and 20.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D), 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 Barling 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 | 18.3:1 | ▲ 35% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.5% | ▼ 6% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 316 | top 36% | — | — |
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
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
18.3:1
students per teacher
— 35% above state mean
Top 89% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
26.3%
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
$15,628
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.9 FTE
Per 351 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
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
Enrollment 316 Top 36% in Arkansas — larger than 64% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 18.3:1 +35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 55.5% -6% vs state
NCES ID 050633000352
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.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.9
Students per counselor 351:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 26.3%
In-school suspensions 29
Out-of-school suspensions 13
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Smith School District, which includes Barling Elementary School.
$15,628
Per student
+10%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,231
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,053
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
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 Barling Elementary School
How many students attend Barling Elementary School?
Barling Elementary School has 316 students enrolled. It is a other school in BARLING, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Barling Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Barling Elementary School is 18.3:1, which is 35% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 15% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
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%. The school serves a diverse student body in BARLING, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Barling Elementary School?
Barling Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (D) 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.