Enrollment
605
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Cave City, AR
Cave City Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Cave City Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050405000147
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cave City Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Cave City · Resource Index
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.4:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 52.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Cave City Elementary School has class sizes larger than 75% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cave City Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Cave City, AR.
School address
District: Cave City School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050405000147 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cave City Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cave City Elementary School
Cave City Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Cave City, Arkansas, enrolling 605 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.4:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.6% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 605 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 226 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #139.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 14/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 531 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 22.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Cave City School District also operates Cave City High Career & Collegiate Preparatory School (375 students) and Cave City Middle School Career and Collegiate Preparatory (259 students) alongside Cave City 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 Cave City Elementary School compares
Cave City 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 | 16.4:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.6% | ▼ 11% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 605 | top 19% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.4:1
Leaner classes than 35% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
605
Bigger than 73% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
52.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 11% 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
16.4:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 75% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 25% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
19.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,432
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
Counselors1.1 FTE
Per 531 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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 92.6%
African American 3.1%
Hispanic or Latino 2.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.0%
Asian 0.7%
Two or More 0.5%
Largest group: White at 92.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 14.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 14.1, Cave City 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 Cave City School District, which includes Cave City Elementary School.
$11,432
Per student
-7%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 21.5%
State 56.1%
Federal 22.5%
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 Cave City Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cave City High Career & Collegiate Preparatory School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cave City Middle School Career and Collegiate Preparatory | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cave City Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 375
- Students per teacher
- 6:1
- Resource Index
- 57/100
- Enrollment
- 259
- Students per teacher
- 9.3:1
- 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 (~605 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cave City Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Cave City Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cave City 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 Cave City Elementary School
How many students attend Cave City Elementary School?
Cave City Elementary School has 605 students enrolled. It is a public school in Cave City, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cave City Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Cave City Elementary School is 16.4:1, which is 21% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cave City Elementary School?
52.6% of students at Cave City Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cave City Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Cave City Elementary School is White at 92.6% of enrollment, in Cave City, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cave City Elementary School?
Cave City Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (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 Cave City Elementary School rank among public schools in Cave City?
By Resource Investment Index, Cave City Elementary School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Cave City, 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 Cave City on the city page.
Is Cave City Elementary School a good school?
Cave City Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 75% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Cave City School District?
Besides Cave City Elementary School, Cave City School District also operates Cave City High Career & Collegiate Preparatory School (375 students) and Cave City Middle School Career and Collegiate Preparatory (259 students). See the Cave City 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.