Enrollment
676
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data High school (grades 9-12) NCES 050039801470 Charter school
Estem Public Charter High School — Little Rock, AR
Federal NCES profile for Estem Public Charter High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 38/100.
👥 Class size 40
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 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)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-34% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Estem Public Charter High 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 Public Charter High School reports 676 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 35.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.1:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 11% 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 5% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 39.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 34% below the Arkansas average and 24% below the national baseline. The school offers 18 Advanced Placement courses, a stronger academic pipeline indicator than enrollment alone. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 338 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 47.5% 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 38/100 (F), calculated from 5 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 Public Charter High 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 | 15.1:1 | ▲ 11% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 34% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 676 | top 86% | — | — |
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
39.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 34% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
15.1:1
students per teacher
— 11% above state mean
Top 60% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 40% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.5%
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 338 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 56 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 8.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 676 Top 86% in Arkansas — larger than 14% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 35.0
Students per teacher 15.1:1 +11% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 39.2% -34% vs state
NCES ID 050039801470
Student demographics
African American 62.7%
White 16.0%
Hispanic or Latino 13.8%
Two or More 5.5%
Asian 1.0%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 62.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 18
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 338:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 47.5%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 56
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Estem High Charter, which includes Estem Public Charter High 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
- 672
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Enrollment
- 609
- Students per teacher
- 14.8:1
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 12.7:1
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
Similar high schools in Little Rock
6 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Central High School
Standard public school
2,371 students 14.5:1 students per teacher
Parkview Magnet High School
Standard public school
1,072 students 13.3:1 students per teacher
Joe T. Robinson High School
Standard public school
1,030 students 12.8:1 students per teacher
Wilbur D. Mills High School
Standard public school
612 students 10.7:1 students per teacher
Siatech High Charter
Standard public school
557 students 76.2:1 students per teacher
Little Rock West High School of Innovation
Standard public school
495 students 10.2:1 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 Public Charter High School
How many students attend Estem Public Charter High School?
Estem Public Charter High School has 676 students enrolled. It is a high school in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Estem Public Charter High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Estem Public Charter High School is 15.1:1, which is 11% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 5% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Estem Public Charter High School?
39.2% of students at Estem Public Charter High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Estem Public Charter High School?
The largest demographic group at Estem Public Charter High School is African American at 62.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Estem Public Charter High School?
Estem Public Charter High School has a Resource Investment Index of 38/100 (F) based on 5 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.