Enrollment
357
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hot Springs, AR
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.
Federal NCES profile for Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch., including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 38/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050486000209
👥 S:T ratio 52
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 29
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #6 of 9
- schools in Hot Springs · Resource Index
- 38
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.9:1
- students per teacher
- 58.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. ranks #6 of 9 schools in Hot Springs, AR.
School address
District: Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist. · Arkansas
NCES ID 050486000209 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-12% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
58.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-2% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Hot Springs, Arkansas, enrolling 357 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 58.1% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 357 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 210 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #161, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and Two or More (15%) (diversity index 48/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 357 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist., also runs Cutter-Morning Star High Sch. (331 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 Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. compares
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 11.9:1 | ▼ 12% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 58.1% | ▼ 2% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 357 | top 57% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.9:1
Leaner classes than 76% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
357
Bigger than 41% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
58.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 2% 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
11.9:1
students per teacher
- 12% below state mean
Top 34% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 66% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
46.8%
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
$12,695
per pupil, district-wide
- above 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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 357 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
15
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 4.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.5 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 69.2%
Two or More 14.6%
Hispanic or Latino 12.3%
African American 2.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.7%
Largest group: White at 69.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.4, Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist., which includes Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch..
$12,695
Per student
+4%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-23%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 50.7%
Federal 21.5%
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.
How Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cutter-Morning Star High Sch. | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.'s own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 331
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
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 (~357 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.'s federal record.
- Compare Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. against another school. Compare schools
- Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist.'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 Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.
How many students attend Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.?
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. has 357 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hot Springs, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.?
The student-teacher ratio at Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. is 11.9:1, which is 12% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 24% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.?
58.1% of students at Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.?
The largest demographic group at Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. is White at 69.2% of enrollment, in Hot Springs, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch.?
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (typical 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 Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. rank among schools in Hot Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. ranks #6 of 9 schools in Hot Springs, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Hot Springs on the city page.
Is Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. a good school?
Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch. earns 38/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist.?
Besides Cutter-Morning Star Elem. Sch., Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist. also operates Cutter-Morning Star High Sch. (331 students). See the Cutter-Morning Star Sch. Dist. 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.