Enrollment
39
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Smith, AR
Belle Point Alternative Center
Federal NCES profile for Belle Point Alternative Center, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 60/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050633000354
👥 S:T ratio 89
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Belle Point Alternative Center earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Arkansas.
- #1 of 18
- schools in Fort Smith · Resource Index
- 60
- Resource Index · Higher
- 2.8:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 81.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Belle Point Alternative Center has class sizes smaller than 99% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Belle Point Alternative Center ranks #1 of 18 schools in Fort Smith, AR.
School address
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050633000354 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
2.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-79% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+38% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Belle Point Alternative Center compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Belle Point Alternative Center
Belle Point Alternative Center is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enrolling 39 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 2.8:1, Belle Point Alternative Center is leaner than roughly 99% of Arkansas schools and 79% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.5% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 99% of Arkansas schools, with 39 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Its student body is led by White (44%) and Hispanic or Latino (26%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 69/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 195 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 83 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 39 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Fort Smith School District also operates Northside High School (2,231 students) and Southside High School (2,053 students) alongside Belle Point Alternative Center.
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 Belle Point Alternative Center compares
Belle Point Alternative Center on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 2.8:1 | ▼ 79% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.5% | ▲ 38% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 39 | top 99% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
2.8:1
Leaner classes than 100% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
39
Bigger than 5% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 38% 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
2.8:1
students per teacher
- 79% below state mean
Top 1% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 99% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
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
Counselors0.2 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
22
in-school suspensions + 61 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 56.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 212.8 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 43.6%
Hispanic or Latino 25.6%
African American 23.1%
Two or More 7.7%
Largest group: White at 43.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 68.5/100
Simpson diversity index - at 68.5, Belle Point Alternative Center is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Smith School District, which includes Belle Point Alternative Center.
$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 Belle Point Alternative Center Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Southside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ramsey Junior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| L. a. Chaffin Jr. High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dora Kimmons Jr. High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Belle Point Alternative Center'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 (~39 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~2.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Belle Point Alternative Center's federal record.
- Compare Belle Point Alternative Center 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 Belle Point Alternative Center
How many students attend Belle Point Alternative Center?
Belle Point Alternative Center has 39 students enrolled. It is an alternative school in Fort Smith, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Belle Point Alternative Center?
The student-teacher ratio at Belle Point Alternative Center is 2.8:1, which is 79% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 82% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Belle Point Alternative Center?
81.5% of students at Belle Point Alternative Center are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Belle Point Alternative Center?
The largest demographic group at Belle Point Alternative Center is White at 43.6% of enrollment, in Fort Smith, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 68.5/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Belle Point Alternative Center?
Belle Point Alternative Center has a Resource Investment Index of 60/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Belle Point Alternative Center rank among schools in Fort Smith?
By Resource Investment Index, Belle Point Alternative Center ranks #1 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 Belle Point Alternative Center a good school?
Belle Point Alternative Center earns 60/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 99% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Arkansas. 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 Belle Point Alternative Center, 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.