Enrollment
852
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 051266001020
Central Junior High School — Springdale, AR
Federal NCES profile for Central Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 15
📋 Attendance 70
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: Springdale 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)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Junior 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 Junior High School reports 852 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 58.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 13% 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 4% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Arkansas average and 40% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 426 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 11.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Springdale School District spends $12,773 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.0% from local sources (property taxes), 52.5% from the state, and 18.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Central Junior 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 | 15.3:1 | ▲ 13% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.1% | ▼ 47% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 852 | top 94% | — | — |
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
31.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.3:1
students per teacher
— 13% above state mean
Top 61% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 39% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.9%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$12,773
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 426 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
53
in-school suspensions + 80 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 852 Top 94% in Arkansas — larger than 6% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 58.0
Students per teacher 15.3:1 +13% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.1% -47% vs state
NCES ID 051266001020
Student demographics
White 52.7%
Hispanic or Latino 31.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 6.5%
African American 3.6%
Two or More 3.5%
Asian 1.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 52.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 1
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 426:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 11.9%
In-school suspensions 53
Out-of-school suspensions 80
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Springdale School District, which includes Central Junior High School.
$12,773
Per student
-10%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 52.5%
Federal 18.5%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,271
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 2,207
- Students per teacher
- 11.9:1
- Enrollment
- 1,976
- Students per teacher
- 12.1:1
- Enrollment
- 890
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Enrollment
- 849
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
Similar other schools in Springdale
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Springdale School of Innovations
Standard public school
1,976 students 12.1:1 students per teacher
Hunt Elementary School
Standard public school
890 students 17.5:1 students per teacher
George Junior High School
Standard public school
723 students 12.4:1 students per teacher
Southwest Junior High School
Standard public school
694 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
George Elementary School
Standard public school
676 students 18.9:1 students per teacher
Lakeside Junior High School
Standard public school
654 students 12.4:1 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 Junior High School
How many students attend Central Junior High School?
Central Junior High School has 852 students enrolled. It is a other school in SPRINGDALE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Junior High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Junior High School is 15.3:1, which is 13% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 4% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Junior High School?
31.1% of students at Central Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Junior High School?
The largest demographic group at Central Junior High School is White at 52.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in SPRINGDALE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Junior High School?
Central Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.