Enrollment
713
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Forrest City, AR
Central Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Central Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 22/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050627001425
👥 S:T ratio 5
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 5
📋 Attendance 49
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Central Elementary School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #4 of 4
- public schools in Forrest City · Resource Index
- 22
- Resource Index · Lower
- 23.8:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Central Elementary School has class sizes larger than 99% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Forrest City, AR.
School address
District: Forrest City School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050627001425 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+75% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Central Elementary School
Central Elementary School is a high-poverty, large combined-grade school in Forrest City, Arkansas, enrolling 713 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.8:1 is larger than about 99% of Arkansas schools and 75% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 713 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 83 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #82, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 475 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.6% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 40.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Forrest City School District also operates Forrest City High School (563 students) and Stewart Elementary School (400 students) alongside Central 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 Central Elementary School compares
Central 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 | 23.8:1 | ▲ 75% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 713 | top 12% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.8:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
713
Bigger than 81% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
23.8:1
students per teacher
- 75% above state mean
Top 99% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
20.6%
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
$13,992
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 475 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 96.6%
White 2.8%
Hispanic or Latino 0.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 96.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 6.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 6.6, Central Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forrest City School District, which includes Central Elementary School.
$13,992
Per student
+14%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 42.0%
Federal 40.2%
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.
How Central Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Forrest City High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Stewart Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Forrest City Jr. High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Central Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 132
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
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 (~713 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Central Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Central Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Forrest 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 Central Elementary School
How many students attend Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has 713 students enrolled. It is a public school in Forrest City, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Elementary School is 23.8:1, which is 75% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 52% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Central Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Central Elementary School is African American at 96.6% of enrollment, in Forrest City, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Elementary School?
Central Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 22/100 (lower 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 Central Elementary School rank among public schools in Forrest City?
By Resource Investment Index, Central Elementary School ranks #4 of 4 public schools in Forrest 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 Forrest City on the city page.
Is Central Elementary School a good school?
Central Elementary School earns 22/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Forrest City School District?
Besides Central Elementary School, Forrest City School District also operates Forrest City High School (563 students), Stewart Elementary School (400 students), and Forrest City Jr. High (270 students). See the Forrest 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.