Enrollment
279
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Des Arc, AR
Des Arc High School
Federal NCES profile for Des Arc High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 51/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050519000240
👥 S:T ratio 44
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 45
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Des Arc High School earns 51/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- 51
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.9:1
- students per teacher
- 50.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 279
- students enrolled
Des Arc High School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Des Arc School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050519000240 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+2% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
50.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Des Arc High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Des Arc High School
Des Arc High School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Des Arc, Arkansas, enrolling 279 students.
At 13.9:1, 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 50.0% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 279 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 200 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #85.
Its student body is predominantly White (87% of enrollment) (diversity index 23/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 279 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.2% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 19.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Des Arc School District, also runs Des Arc Elementary School (379 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 Des Arc High School compares
Des Arc High 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 | 13.9:1 | ▲ 2% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 50.0% | ▼ 16% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 279 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.9:1
Leaner classes than 58% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
279
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
50.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
13.9:1
students per teacher
- 2% above state mean
Top 51% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 49% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
22.2%
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
$11,372
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 279 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
21
in-school suspensions + 27 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 7.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 87.1%
African American 9.0%
Hispanic or Latino 2.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Two or More 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 23.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 23.2, Des Arc High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Des Arc School District, which includes Des Arc High School.
$11,372
Per student
-7%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.9%
State 50.3%
Federal 19.8%
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 Des Arc High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Des Arc Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Des Arc High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 379
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- 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 (~279 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Des Arc High School's federal record.
- Compare Des Arc High School against another school. Compare schools
- Des Arc 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 Des Arc High School
How many students attend Des Arc High School?
Des Arc High School has 279 students enrolled. It is a public school in Des Arc, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Des Arc High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Des Arc High School is 13.9:1, which is 2% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 11% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Des Arc High School?
50.0% of students at Des Arc High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Des Arc High School?
The largest demographic group at Des Arc High School is White at 87.1% of enrollment, in Des Arc, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Des Arc High School?
Des Arc High School has a Resource Investment Index of 51/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Des Arc High School a good school?
Des Arc High School earns 51/100 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 Des Arc School District?
Besides Des Arc High School, Des Arc School District also operates Des Arc Elementary School (379 students). See the Des Arc 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.