Enrollment
502
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Charleston, AR
Charleston Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Charleston Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050420000157
👥 S:T ratio 39
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 33
📋 Attendance 68
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Charleston Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.2:1
- students per teacher
- 34.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 502
- students enrolled
Charleston Elementary School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Charleston School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050420000157 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Charleston Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Charleston Elementary School
Charleston Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Charleston, Arkansas, enrolling 502 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 34.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 502 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 244 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #39.
Its student body is predominantly White (93% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 13/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 335 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
12.7% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Charleston School District, also runs Charleston High School (410 students).
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 Charleston Elementary School compares
Charleston 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 | 15.2:1 | ▲ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.4% | ▼ 42% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 502 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.2:1
Leaner classes than 45% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
502
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
34.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
15.2:1
students per teacher
- 12% above state mean
Top 62% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 38% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
12.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$10,406
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 335 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
8
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 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 93.2%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
Two or More 2.0%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
African American 0.2%
Largest group: White at 93.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 13.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 13.0, Charleston 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 Charleston School District, which includes Charleston Elementary School.
$10,406
Per student
-15%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.4%
State 55.4%
Federal 19.2%
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 Charleston Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Charleston High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Charleston Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 410
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
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 (~502 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Charleston Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Charleston Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Charleston 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 Charleston Elementary School
How many students attend Charleston Elementary School?
Charleston Elementary School has 502 students enrolled. It is a public school in Charleston, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Charleston Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Charleston Elementary School is 15.2:1, which is 12% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Charleston Elementary School?
34.4% of students at Charleston Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Charleston Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Charleston Elementary School is White at 93.2% of enrollment, in Charleston, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Charleston Elementary School?
Charleston Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher 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).
Is Charleston Elementary School a good school?
Charleston Elementary School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Charleston School District?
Besides Charleston Elementary School, Charleston School District also operates Charleston High School (410 students). See the Charleston 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.