Enrollment
676
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Little Rock, AR
Estem Public Charter High School
Federal NCES profile for Estem Public Charter High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 35/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050039801470Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 23
📚 AP courses 90
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Estem Public Charter High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Arkansas schools.
- #8 of 10
- high schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 35
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19.3:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 39.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Estem Public Charter High School has class sizes larger than 93% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Estem Public Charter High School ranks #8 of 10 high schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Estem High Charter · Arkansas
NCES ID 050039801470 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
35.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+42% 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
What stands out at Estem Public Charter High School
Estem Public Charter High School is a large charter high school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 676 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19.3:1 is larger than about 93% of Arkansas schools and 42% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 676 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 98% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 220 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #216, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by African American (63%) and White (16%) (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 18 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 47.5% 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 high schools, it stands alongside Little Rock Hall Steam Magnet High School (335 students): Estem Public Charter High School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (19.3:1 vs 12:1).
Estem High Charter also operates Estem Elementary School (672 students) and Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School (609 students) alongside Estem Public Charter High 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 Public Charter High School compares
Estem Public Charter High 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 | 19.3:1 | ▲ 42% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.2% | ▼ 34% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 676 | top 14% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19.3:1
Leaner classes than 19% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
676
Bigger than 79% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
19.3:1
students per teacher
- 42% above state mean
Top 93% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 7% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
47.5%
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
Counselors2.0 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 55.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 55.9, Estem Public Charter High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 18
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Estem High Charter, which includes Estem Public Charter High 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 Public Charter High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Estem Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Estem Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Estem East Village Junior High Public Charter School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Estem Public Charter High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- 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
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 292
- Students per teacher
- 10.4:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
Similar high schools in Little Rock
1 comparable high schools (grades 9-12) serving the same city.
Similar high 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 (~676 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~19.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Estem Public Charter High School's federal record.
- Compare Estem Public Charter High 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 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 19.3:1, which is 42% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 23% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 55.9/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Estem Public Charter High School?
Estem Public Charter High School has a Resource Investment Index of 35/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 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 Public Charter High School rank among high schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Estem Public Charter High School ranks #8 of 10 high 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 high schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Estem Public Charter High School a good school?
Estem Public Charter High School earns 35/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 93% of Arkansas schools. 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 Public Charter High School, Estem High Charter also operates Estem Elementary School (672 students), Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School (609 students), and Estem Middle School (401 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.