Enrollment
379
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bismarck, AR
Bismarck Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Bismarck Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050324000085
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Bismarck Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Bismarck · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 55.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Bismarck Elementary School has class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Bismarck Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bismarck, AR.
School address
District: Bismarck School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050324000085 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
55.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-7% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Bismarck Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Bismarck Elementary School
Bismarck Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bismarck, Arkansas, enrolling 379 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 55.2% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 379 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 247 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #132.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 379 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 27.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Bismarck School District also operates Bismarck Middle School (338 students) and Bismarck High School (317 students) alongside Bismarck 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 Bismarck Elementary School compares
Bismarck 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 55.2% | ▼ 7% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 379 | top 53% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
379
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
55.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 7% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 76% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.6%
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
$11,762
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 379 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.8 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 90.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.3%
Two or More 3.7%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 90.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 17.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.1, Bismarck Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bismarck School District, which includes Bismarck Elementary School.
$11,762
Per student
-4%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.8%
State 46.5%
Federal 27.7%
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 Bismarck Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bismarck Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Bismarck High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Bismarck Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 317
- Students per teacher
- 5.3:1
- Resource Index
- 60/100
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 (~379 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Bismarck Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Bismarck Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Bismarck 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 Bismarck Elementary School
How many students attend Bismarck Elementary School?
Bismarck Elementary School has 379 students enrolled. It is a public school in Bismarck, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Bismarck Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Bismarck Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Bismarck Elementary School?
55.2% of students at Bismarck Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Bismarck Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Bismarck Elementary School is White at 90.8% of enrollment, in Bismarck, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Bismarck Elementary School?
Bismarck Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Bismarck Elementary School rank among public schools in Bismarck?
By Resource Investment Index, Bismarck Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Bismarck, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Bismarck on the city page.
Is Bismarck Elementary School a good school?
Bismarck Elementary School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of 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 Bismarck School District?
Besides Bismarck Elementary School, Bismarck School District also operates Bismarck Middle School (338 students) and Bismarck High School (317 students). See the Bismarck 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.