Enrollment
557
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Van Buren, AR
Butterfield Junior High School
Federal NCES profile for Butterfield Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 051341001102
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 45
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Butterfield Junior High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #2 of 10
- public schools in Van Buren · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.3:1
- students per teacher
- 57.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Butterfield Junior High School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Butterfield Junior High School ranks #2 of 10 public schools in Van Buren, AR.
School address
District: Van Buren School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051341001102 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
42.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Butterfield Junior High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Butterfield Junior High School
Butterfield Junior High School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Van Buren, Arkansas, enrolling 557 students.
At 13.3:1, 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 57.4% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 557 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 207 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #117.
Its student body is led by White (56%) and Hispanic or Latino (31%) (diversity index 59/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 276 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 52.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 123 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 557 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Van Buren School District also operates Van Buren High School (1,232 students) and Northridge Middle School (713 students) alongside Butterfield Junior High 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 Butterfield Junior High School compares
Butterfield Junior High 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 | 13.3:1 | ▼ 2% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.4% | ▼ 3% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 557 | top 25% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.3:1
Leaner classes than 64% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
557
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.4%
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
13.3:1
students per teacher
- 2% below state mean
Top 45% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 55% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
52.1%
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
$11,226
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 276 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
67
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.1 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 55.5%
Hispanic or Latino 31.2%
Two or More 7.9%
African American 2.9%
Asian 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 55.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 58.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 58.7, Butterfield Junior High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren School District, which includes Butterfield Junior High School.
$11,226
Per student
-8%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 49.4%
Federal 21.6%
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 Butterfield Junior High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northridge Middle School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Van Buren Freshman Academy | Similar size | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| J. J. Izard Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James R. Tate Elem. School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Butterfield Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 459
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar middle 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 (~557 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Butterfield Junior High School's federal record.
- Compare Butterfield Junior High School against another school. Compare schools
- Van Buren 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 Butterfield Junior High School
How many students attend Butterfield Junior High School?
Butterfield Junior High School has 557 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Van Buren, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Butterfield Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Butterfield Junior High School is 13.3:1, which is 2% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 15% 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 Butterfield Junior High School?
57.4% of students at Butterfield Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Butterfield Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Butterfield Junior High School is White at 55.5% of enrollment, in Van Buren, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 58.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Butterfield Junior High School?
Butterfield Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Butterfield Junior High School rank among public schools in Van Buren?
By Resource Investment Index, Butterfield Junior High School ranks #2 of 10 public schools in Van Buren, 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 Van Buren on the city page.
Is Butterfield Junior High School a good school?
Butterfield Junior High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Van Buren School District?
Besides Butterfield Junior High School, Van Buren School District also operates Van Buren High School (1,232 students), Northridge Middle School (713 students), and Van Buren Freshman Academy (468 students). See the Van Buren 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.