Enrollment
297
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Smith, AR
Beard Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Beard Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050633000353
👥 S:T ratio 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 18
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Beard Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #7 of 18
- schools in Fort Smith · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 14.8:1
- students per teacher
- 57.3%
- free-lunch eligible
Beard Elementary School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Beard Elementary School ranks #7 of 18 schools in Fort Smith, AR.
School address
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050633000353 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.3%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Beard Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Beard Elementary School
Beard Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enrolling 297 students.
At 14.8:1, 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.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.3% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 297 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 180 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #125.
Its student body is led by White (46%) and Hispanic or Latino (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 71/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 297 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 32.7% 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 Beard 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 Beard Elementary School compares
Beard 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 9% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.3% | ▼ 3% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 297 | top 68% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.8:1
Leaner classes than 49% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
297
Bigger than 32% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.3%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% 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
14.8:1
students per teacher
- 9% above state mean
Top 58% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
32.7%
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 297 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 10.4 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 45.8%
Hispanic or Latino 18.2%
Two or More 17.8%
African American 10.8%
Asian 6.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Largest group: White at 45.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 71.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 71.0, Beard 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 Beard 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 Beard 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 | Similar S:T ratio |
| Dora Kimmons Jr. High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Beard 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 (~297 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Beard Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Beard 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 Beard Elementary School
How many students attend Beard Elementary School?
Beard Elementary School has 297 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Smith, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Beard Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Beard Elementary School is 14.8:1, which is 9% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Beard Elementary School?
57.3% of students at Beard Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Beard Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Beard Elementary School is White at 45.8% of enrollment, in Fort Smith, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 71.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Beard Elementary School?
Beard Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Beard Elementary School rank among schools in Fort Smith?
By Resource Investment Index, Beard Elementary School ranks #7 of 18 schools in Fort Smith, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Smith on the city page.
Is Beard Elementary School a good school?
Beard Elementary School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Beard 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.