Enrollment
315
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 050900000608
Dunbar Magnet Middle School — Little Rock, AR
Federal NCES profile for Dunbar Magnet Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 0
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: Little Rock 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)
28.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
83.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Dunbar Magnet 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
Dunbar Magnet Middle School reports 315 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 28.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 16% below the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 28% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 83.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 41% above the Arkansas average and 61% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 158 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 92.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Little Rock School District spends $15,987 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.7% from local sources (property taxes), 26.7% from the state, and 20.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Dunbar Magnet 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 | 11.4:1 | ▼ 16% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 83.4% | ▲ 41% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 315 | top 35% | — | — |
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
83.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 41% 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
11.4:1
students per teacher
— 16% below state mean
Top 27% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 73% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
92.4%
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
$15,987
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 158 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 100 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 315 Top 35% in Arkansas — larger than 65% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 28.0
Students per teacher 11.4:1 -16% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 83.4% +41% vs state
NCES ID 050900000608
Student demographics
African American 85.4%
Hispanic or Latino 10.2%
White 3.2%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: African American at 85.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 158:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 92.4%
In-school suspensions 26
Out-of-school suspensions 100
Expulsions 4
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Dunbar Magnet Middle School.
$15,987
Per student
+12%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar middle schools in Little Rock
6 comparable middle schools (grades 6-8) serving the same city.
Arkansas Virtual Academy Jr
Standard public school
1,315 students 21.2:1 students per teacher
Pinnacle View Middle School
Standard public school
807 students 13.1:1 students per teacher
Cloverdale Middle School
Standard public school
665 students 12.5:1 students per teacher
Joe T. Robinson Middle School
Standard public school
607 students 11.1:1 students per teacher
Pulaski Heights Middle School
Standard public school
585 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Mann Magnet Middle School
Standard public school
557 students 13.4:1 students per teacher
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 Dunbar Magnet Middle School
How many students attend Dunbar Magnet Middle School?
Dunbar Magnet Middle School has 315 students enrolled. It is a middle school in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Dunbar Magnet Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Dunbar Magnet Middle School is 11.4:1, which is 16% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 28% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Dunbar Magnet Middle School?
83.4% of students at Dunbar Magnet Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Dunbar Magnet Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Dunbar Magnet Middle School is African American at 85.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Dunbar Magnet Middle School?
Dunbar Magnet Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.