Enrollment
340
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Monticello, AR
Drew Central High School
Federal NCES profile for Drew Central High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050547000259
👥 S:T ratio 55
📚 AP courses 25
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 50
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Drew Central High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Arkansas schools.
- #2 of 7
- public schools in Monticello · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Drew Central High School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Drew Central High School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Monticello, AR.
School address
District: Drew Central School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050547000259 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
30.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
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 Drew Central High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Drew Central High School
Drew Central High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Monticello, Arkansas, enrolling 340 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
With 340 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 158 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #50.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and African American (20%) (diversity index 48/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 5 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 340 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 20.0% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 82 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 340 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Drew Central School District also operates Drew Central Elem. School (562 students) and Drew Central Middle School (360 students) alongside Drew Central High 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 Drew Central High School compares
Drew Central 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 340 | top 60% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
340
Bigger than 38% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 29% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
20.0%
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
$11,308
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 340 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
54
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 15.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 24.1 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 68.5%
African American 20.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.5%
Two or More 4.7%
Largest group: White at 68.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 48.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 48.3, Drew Central High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Drew Central School District, which includes Drew Central High School.
$11,308
Per student
-8%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 25.1%
State 53.6%
Federal 21.3%
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.
How Drew Central High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Drew Central Elem. School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Drew Central Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Drew Central High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 17.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 360
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
Similar high 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 (~340 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Drew Central High School's federal record.
- Compare Drew Central High School against another school. Compare schools
- Drew Central 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 Drew Central High School
How many students attend Drew Central High School?
Drew Central High School has 340 students enrolled. It is a high school in Monticello, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Drew Central High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Drew Central High School is 11.3:1, which is 17% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 28% 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 Drew Central High School?
100.0% of students at Drew Central High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Drew Central High School?
The largest demographic group at Drew Central High School is White at 68.5% of enrollment, in Monticello, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Drew Central High School?
Drew Central High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Drew Central High School rank among public schools in Monticello?
By Resource Investment Index, Drew Central High School ranks #2 of 7 public schools in Monticello, 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 Monticello on the city page.
Is Drew Central High School a good school?
Drew Central High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Arkansas schools. 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 Drew Central School District?
Besides Drew Central High School, Drew Central School District also operates Drew Central Elem. School (562 students) and Drew Central Middle School (360 students). See the Drew Central 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.