Enrollment
401
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050039801467 Charter school
Estem Middle School — Little Rock, AR
Federal NCES profile for Estem Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 68
📋 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: Estem High Charter · 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-7% 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
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
Estem Middle School reports 401 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 7% 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 20% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 49.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 17% below the Arkansas average and 5% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 160 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 59.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Estem High Charter spends $11,688 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 4.0% from local sources (property taxes), 74.0% from the state, and 22.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), 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 Estem 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 | 12.7:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.0% | ▼ 17% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 401 | top 51% | — | — |
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
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
12.7:1
students per teacher
— 7% below state mean
Top 37% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 63% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
59.6%
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
$11,688
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
Counselors2.5 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
Enrollment 401 Top 51% in Arkansas — larger than 49% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 12.7:1 -7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 49.0% -17% vs state
NCES ID 050039801467
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.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 2
Counselors (FTE) 2.5
Students per counselor 160:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 59.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 36
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Estem High Charter, which includes Estem Middle School.
$11,688
Per student
-18%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 676
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Enrollment
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
Similar other schools in Little Rock
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Fulbright Elementary School
Standard public school
485 students 19.7:1 students per teacher
Stephens Elementary
Standard public school
474 students 17.4:1 students per teacher
Chenal Elementary School
Standard public school
448 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
East End Elementary School
Standard public school
442 students 18.5:1 students per teacher
M.L. King Elementary School
Standard public school
414 students 13.6:1 students per teacher
Bates Elementary School
Standard public school
409 students 12.3:1 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 Estem Middle School
How many students attend Estem Middle School?
Estem Middle School has 401 students enrolled. It is a other school in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Estem Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Estem Middle School is 12.7:1, which is 7% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 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%. The school serves a diverse student body 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 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.