Enrollment
278
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050498000220
Decatur Northside Elementary — Decatur, AR
Federal NCES profile for Decatur Northside Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 46/100.
👥 Class size 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 33
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: Decatur 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)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Decatur Northside Elementary 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
Decatur Northside Elementary reports 278 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 17.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 17% 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 0% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% above the Arkansas average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 278 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 27.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Decatur School District spends $18,228 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 32.5% from local sources (property taxes), 44.1% from the state, and 23.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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 Decatur Northside Elementary 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 | 15.9:1 | ▲ 17% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 278 | top 28% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 69% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
15.9:1
students per teacher
— 17% above state mean
Top 69% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 31% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
27.0%
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
$18,228
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 278 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 5 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 278 Top 28% in Arkansas — larger than 72% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 17.0
Students per teacher 15.9:1 +17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +69% vs state
NCES ID 050498000220
Student demographics
White 43.5%
Hispanic or Latino 43.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 6.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.9%
Asian 2.2%
Two or More 1.8%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 43.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 278:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 27.0%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 5
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Decatur School District, which includes Decatur Northside Elementary.
$18,228
Per student
+28%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-6%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 32.5%
State 44.1%
Federal 23.3%
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
- 173
- Students per teacher
- 3.6:1
- Enrollment
- 162
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
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 Decatur Northside Elementary
How many students attend Decatur Northside Elementary?
Decatur Northside Elementary has 278 students enrolled. It is a other school in DECATUR, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Decatur Northside Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Decatur Northside Elementary is 15.9:1, which is 17% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 0% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Decatur Northside Elementary?
100.0% of students at Decatur Northside Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Decatur Northside Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Decatur Northside Elementary is Hispanic or Latino at 43.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in DECATUR, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Decatur Northside Elementary?
Decatur Northside Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (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.