Enrollment
316
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050371001271
Buffalo is. Central Hs — Monette, AR
Federal NCES profile for Buffalo is. Central Hs, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 43/100.
👥 Class size 60
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 37
📋 Attendance 6
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: Buffalo is. Central Sch. Dist. · 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)
34.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
9.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
45.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-24% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Buffalo is. Central Hs 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
Buffalo is. Central Hs reports 316 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 34.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 9.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% below the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 38% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 45.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 24% below the Arkansas average and 13% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 316 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 37.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Buffalo is. Central Sch. Dist. spends $12,693 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.7% from local sources (property taxes), 43.2% from the state, and 21.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (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 Buffalo is. Central Hs 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 | 9.9:1 | ▼ 27% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 45.0% | ▼ 24% | 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
45.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 24% 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
9.9:1
students per teacher
— 27% below state mean
Top 20% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 80% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
37.7%
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
$12,693
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 316 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 20 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.8 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) 34.0
Students per teacher 9.9:1 -27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 45.0% -24% vs state
NCES ID 050371001271
Student demographics
White 77.5%
Hispanic or Latino 20.6%
Two or More 1.3%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 77.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 316:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 37.7%
In-school suspensions 11
Out-of-school suspensions 20
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Buffalo is. Central Sch. Dist., which includes Buffalo is. Central Hs.
$12,693
Per student
-11%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 43.2%
Federal 21.0%
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
- 404
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
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 Buffalo is. Central Hs
How many students attend Buffalo is. Central Hs?
Buffalo is. Central Hs has 316 students enrolled. It is a other school in MONETTE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Buffalo is. Central Hs?
The student-teacher ratio at Buffalo is. Central Hs is 9.9:1, which is 27% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 38% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Buffalo is. Central Hs?
45.0% of students at Buffalo is. Central Hs are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Buffalo is. Central Hs?
The largest demographic group at Buffalo is. Central Hs is White at 77.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in MONETTE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Buffalo is. Central Hs?
Buffalo is. Central Hs has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.