Enrollment
401
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Little Rock, AR
Estem Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Estem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050039801467Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Estem Middle School earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #16 of 24
- schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.5:1
- students per teacher
- 49.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Estem Middle School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Estem Middle School ranks #16 of 24 schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Estem High Charter · Arkansas
NCES ID 050039801467 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-8% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-17% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Estem Middle School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Estem Middle School
Estem Middle School is a mid-sized charter combined-grade school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 401 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.5:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.0% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 401 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 288 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #230, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (71%) and White (14%) (diversity index 46/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 160 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 59.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 22.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Little Rock's public schools, it stands alongside Rockefeller Early Childhood Center (317 students): Estem Middle School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (12.5:1 vs 22.6:1).
Estem High Charter also operates Estem Public Charter High School (676 students) and Estem Elementary School (672 students) alongside Estem Middle 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 Estem Middle School compares
Estem Middle 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 | 12.5:1 | ▼ 8% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.0% | ▼ 17% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 49% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.5:1
Leaner classes than 71% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
401
Bigger than 48% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 17% 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
12.5:1
students per teacher
- 8% below state mean
Top 39% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
59.6%
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
$11,403
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 160 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.0 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
African American 71.3%
White 13.5%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 4.0%
Asian 0.5%
Largest group: African American at 71.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 46.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 46.0, Estem Middle School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Estem High Charter, which includes Estem Middle School.
$11,403
Per student
-7%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-31%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 4.0%
State 74.0%
Federal 22.0%
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 Estem Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estem Public Charter High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Estem Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Estem East Village Junior High Public Charter School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Estem Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Resource Index
- 21/100
- Enrollment
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 11.8:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar other schools in Little Rock
2 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~401 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Estem Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Estem Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Estem High Charter'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 Estem Middle School
How many students attend Estem Middle School?
Estem Middle School has 401 students enrolled. It is a public school in Little Rock, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Estem Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Estem Middle School is 12.5:1, which is 8% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 Estem Middle School?
49.0% of students at Estem Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Estem Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Estem Middle School is African American at 71.3% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Estem Middle School?
Estem Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (typical 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).
How does Estem Middle School rank among schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Estem Middle School ranks #16 of 24 schools in Little Rock, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Estem Middle School a good school?
Estem Middle School earns 37/100 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 Estem High Charter?
Besides Estem Middle School, Estem High Charter also operates Estem Public Charter High School (676 students), Estem Elementary School (672 students), and Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School (609 students). See the Estem High Charter 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.