Enrollment
1,363
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050296000068
Benton Middle School — Benton, AR
Federal NCES profile for Benton Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 40/100.
👥 Class size 27
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 9
📋 Attendance 55
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: Benton 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)
75.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
30.8%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-48% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Benton Middle 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
Benton Middle School reports 1,363 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 75.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.2:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 34% 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 14% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 30.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 48% below the Arkansas average and 41% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 454 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Benton School District spends $10,911 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.2% from local sources (property taxes), 53.6% from the state, and 12.2% 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 Benton Middle 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 | 18.2:1 | ▲ 34% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 30.8% | ▼ 48% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 1,363 | top 98% | — | — |
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
30.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 48% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.2:1
students per teacher
— 34% 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
17.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$10,911
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 454 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
141
in-school suspensions + 111 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 1,363 Top 98% in Arkansas — larger than 2% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 75.0
Students per teacher 18.2:1 +34% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 30.8% -48% vs state
NCES ID 050296000068
Student demographics
White 71.7%
African American 12.0%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 71.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 3.0
Students per counselor 454:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.9%
In-school suspensions 141
Out-of-school suspensions 111
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Benton School District, which includes Benton Middle School.
$10,911
Per student
-24%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-44%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.2%
State 53.6%
Federal 12.2%
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
- 1,298
- Students per teacher
- 11.4:1
- Enrollment
- 971
- Students per teacher
- 15.2:1
- Enrollment
- 511
- Students per teacher
- 21.1:1
- Enrollment
- 465
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 19.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Benton
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Salem Elementary School
Standard public school
469 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Perrin Elementary School
Standard public school
465 students 17.6:1 students per teacher
Hurricane Creek Elementary
Standard public school
435 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Caldwell Elementary School
Standard public school
427 students 19.4:1 students per teacher
Angie Grant Elementary School
Standard public school
340 students 18.8:1 students per teacher
Harmony Grove Middle School
Standard public school
298 students 15.8:1 students per teacher
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 Benton Middle School
How many students attend Benton Middle School?
Benton Middle School has 1,363 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BENTON, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Benton Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Benton Middle School is 18.2:1, which is 34% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 14% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Benton Middle School?
30.8% of students at Benton Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Benton Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Benton Middle School is White at 71.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BENTON, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Benton Middle School?
Benton Middle 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.