Enrollment
360
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050547001492
Drew Central Middle School — Monticello, AR
Federal NCES profile for Drew Central Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 42
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: Drew Central 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)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Drew Central Middle 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
Drew Central Middle School reports 360 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 24.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 14% 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 3% lower, 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 180 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Drew Central School District spends $13,545 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 25.1% from local sources (property taxes), 53.6% from the state, and 21.3% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Drew Central Middle 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 | 15.5:1 | ▲ 14% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 360 | top 43% | — | — |
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
15.5:1
students per teacher
— 14% above state mean
Top 64% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 36% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
23.1%
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
$13,545
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.
Support staff
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 180 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
102
in-school suspensions + 31 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 28.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 36.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 360 Top 43% in Arkansas — larger than 57% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 24.0
Students per teacher 15.5:1 +14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +69% vs state
NCES ID 050547001492
Student demographics
White 63.6%
African American 25.0%
Hispanic or Latino 6.9%
Two or More 4.4%
Largest group: White at 63.6% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 180:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.1%
In-school suspensions 102
Out-of-school suspensions 31
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Drew Central School District, which includes Drew Central Middle School.
$13,545
Per student
-5%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 562
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Enrollment
- 340
- Students per teacher
- 10.5:1
Similar elementary schools in Monticello
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 Drew Central Middle School
How many students attend Drew Central Middle School?
Drew Central Middle School has 360 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in MONTICELLO, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Drew Central Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Drew Central Middle School is 15.5:1, which is 14% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 3% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Drew Central Middle School?
100.0% of students at Drew Central Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Drew Central Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Drew Central Middle School is White at 63.6%. The school serves a diverse student body in MONTICELLO, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Drew Central Middle School?
Drew Central Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.