Enrollment
2,371
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 050900000607
Central High School — Little Rock, AR
Federal NCES profile for Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 42
📚 AP courses 100
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
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: Little Rock School District · 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)
161.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central High School 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
Central High School reports 2,371 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 161.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 9% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 29% below the Arkansas average and 19% below the national baseline. The school offers 36 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 263 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1.
On the finance side, the surrounding Little Rock School District spends $15,987 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.7% from local sources (property taxes), 26.7% from the state, and 20.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), 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 Central High School 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 | 14.5:1 | ▲ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.1% | ▼ 29% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 2,371 | top 99% | — | — |
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
42.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 29% 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
14.5:1
students per teacher
— 7% above state mean
Top 54% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$15,987
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors9.0 FTE
Per 263 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
183
in-school suspensions + 194 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 28 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 2,371 Top 99% in Arkansas — larger than 1% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 161.0
Students per teacher 14.5:1 +7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.1% -29% vs state
NCES ID 050900000607
Student demographics
African American 46.3%
White 29.0%
Asian 11.2%
Hispanic or Latino 10.8%
Two or More 2.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 46.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 36
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 9.0
Students per counselor 263:1
Discipline & special education
In-school suspensions 183
Out-of-school suspensions 194
Expulsions 28
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Central High School.
$15,987
Per student
+12%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 807
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
Similar high schools in Little Rock
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Parkview Magnet High School
Standard public school
1,072 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Joe T. Robinson High School
Standard public school
1,030 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Estem Public Charter High School
Standard public school
676 students 15.1:1 students per teacher
Wilbur D. Mills High School
Standard public school
612 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Siatech High Charter
Standard public school
557 students 76.2:1 students per teacher
Little Rock West High School of Innovation
Standard public school
495 students 10.2:1 students per teacher
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 Central High School
How many students attend Central High School?
Central High School has 2,371 students enrolled. It is a high school in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central High School is 14.5:1, which is 7% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 9% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central High School?
42.1% of students at Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Central High School is African American at 46.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central High School?
Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.