Enrollment
315
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050493000213
Dardanelle Elementary School — Dardanelle, AR
Federal NCES profile for Dardanelle Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 36/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 30
📋 Attendance 40
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: Dardanelle 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-10% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dardanelle Elementary 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
Dardanelle Elementary School reports 315 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 53.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 10% below the Arkansas average and 2% above the national baseline. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Dardanelle School District spends $12,056 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 19.2% from local sources (property taxes), 62.7% from the state, and 18.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F), calculated from 3 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 Dardanelle Elementary 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.0% | ▼ 10% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 315 | top 35% | — | — |
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
53.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 10% 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
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 60% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
24.1%
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
$12,056
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.
Overview
Enrollment 315 Top 35% in Arkansas — larger than 65% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 53.0% -10% vs state
NCES ID 050493000213
Student demographics
White 62.5%
Hispanic or Latino 30.5%
African American 4.1%
Two or More 2.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 62.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.1%
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dardanelle School District, which includes Dardanelle Elementary School.
$12,056
Per student
-16%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 19.2%
State 62.7%
Federal 18.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 686
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Enrollment
- 500
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
Similar elementary schools in Dardanelle
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
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 Dardanelle Elementary School
How many students attend Dardanelle Elementary School?
Dardanelle Elementary School has 315 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in DARDANELLE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dardanelle Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dardanelle Elementary School is 15.1:1, which is 11% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dardanelle Elementary School?
53.0% of students at Dardanelle Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dardanelle Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Dardanelle Elementary School is White at 62.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in DARDANELLE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dardanelle Elementary School?
Dardanelle Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (F) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.