Enrollment
500
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Dardanelle, AR
Dardanelle Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Dardanelle Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 41/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 050493000215
👥 S:T ratio 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 47
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Dardanelle Middle School earns 41/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Dardanelle · Resource Index
- 41
- Resource Index · Typical
- 13.5:1
- students per teacher
- 50.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Dardanelle Middle School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Dardanelle Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Dardanelle, AR.
School address
District: Dardanelle School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050493000215 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-15% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dardanelle Middle School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Dardanelle Middle School
Dardanelle Middle School is a higher-need, mid-sized middle school in Dardanelle, Arkansas, enrolling 500 students.
At 13.5:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arkansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 50.4% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 500 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 275 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #153.
Its student body is led by White (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (38%) (diversity index 55/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 500 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.4% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 18.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Dardanelle School District also operates Dardanelle High School (686 students) and Dardanelle Primary School (615 students) alongside Dardanelle Middle School.
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 Dardanelle Middle School compares
Dardanelle Middle 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 | 13.5:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.4% | ▼ 15% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 500 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.5:1
Leaner classes than 62% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
500
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 15% 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
13.5:1
students per teacher
- 1% below state mean
Top 46% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 54% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
21.4%
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
$11,626
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 500 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
31
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.4 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 55.2%
Hispanic or Latino 37.8%
Two or More 3.6%
African American 2.2%
Asian 0.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 55.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 55.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.1, Dardanelle Middle School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Dardanelle School District, which includes Dardanelle Middle School.
$11,626
Per student
-5%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Dardanelle Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Dardanelle High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dardanelle Primary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Dardanelle Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Dardanelle Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 686
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 67/100
- Enrollment
- 615
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 315
- Students per teacher
- 15.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar middle 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 (~500 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Dardanelle Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Dardanelle Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Dardanelle 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 Dardanelle Middle School
How many students attend Dardanelle Middle School?
Dardanelle Middle School has 500 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Dardanelle, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dardanelle Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dardanelle Middle School is 13.5:1, which is 1% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 14% 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 Dardanelle Middle School?
50.4% of students at Dardanelle Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dardanelle Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Dardanelle Middle School is White at 55.2% of enrollment, in Dardanelle, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.1/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dardanelle Middle School?
Dardanelle Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (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 Dardanelle Middle School rank among public schools in Dardanelle?
By Resource Investment Index, Dardanelle Middle School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Dardanelle, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Dardanelle on the city page.
Is Dardanelle Middle School a good school?
Dardanelle Middle School earns 41/100 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 Dardanelle School District?
Besides Dardanelle Middle School, Dardanelle School District also operates Dardanelle High School (686 students), Dardanelle Primary School (615 students), and Dardanelle Elementary School (315 students). See the Dardanelle 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.