Enrollment
604
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050306001080
Central Park at Morning Star — Bentonville, AR
Federal NCES profile for Central Park at Morning Star, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 31
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 40
📋 Attendance 28
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: Bentonville 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
8.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-86% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Central Park at Morning Star 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 Park at Morning Star reports 604 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 17.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 27% 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% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 8.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 86% below the Arkansas average and 84% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 302 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 28.8% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Bentonville School District spends $13,522 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 53.7% from local sources (property taxes), 37.5% from the state, and 8.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Park at Morning Star 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 | 17.3:1 | ▲ 27% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 8.4% | ▼ 86% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 604 | top 80% | — | — |
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
8.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 86% 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
17.3:1
students per teacher
— 27% above state mean
Top 82% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 18% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,522
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 302 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 22 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 604 Top 80% in Arkansas — larger than 20% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 17.3:1 +27% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 8.4% -86% vs state
NCES ID 050306001080
Student demographics
White 64.7%
Asian 15.1%
Hispanic or Latino 11.6%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 2.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 64.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 302:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 28.8%
In-school suspensions 2
Out-of-school suspensions 22
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Bentonville School District, which includes Central Park at Morning Star.
$13,522
Per student
-5%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 53.7%
State 37.5%
Federal 8.8%
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
- 3,579
- Students per teacher
- 12.9:1
- Enrollment
- 2,661
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 846
- Students per teacher
- 16.4:1
- Enrollment
- 725
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Enrollment
- 723
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
Similar elementary schools in Bentonville
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Northwest Arkansas Classical Academy
Standard public school
787 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Bright Field Middle School
Standard public school
697 students 16.6:1 students per teacher
Willowbrook Elementary School
Standard public school
671 students 13:1 students per teacher
Vaughn Elementary
Standard public school
647 students 19.6:1 students per teacher
Creekside Middle School
Standard public school
635 students 16.4:1 students per teacher
Old High Middle School
Standard public school
618 students 15.7:1 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 Park at Morning Star
How many students attend Central Park at Morning Star?
Central Park at Morning Star has 604 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in BENTONVILLE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Central Park at Morning Star?
The student-teacher ratio at Central Park at Morning Star is 17.3:1, which is 27% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 9% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Central Park at Morning Star?
8.4% of students at Central Park at Morning Star are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Central Park at Morning Star?
The largest demographic group at Central Park at Morning Star is White at 64.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in BENTONVILLE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Central Park at Morning Star?
Central Park at Morning Star has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.