Enrollment
321
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050621000335
Fordyce High School — Fordyce, AR
Federal NCES profile for Fordyce High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 54
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 36
📋 Attendance 18
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: Fordyce 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)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
24.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-59% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fordyce 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
Fordyce High School reports 321 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 31.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11.6:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% 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 27% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 24.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 59% below the Arkansas average and 53% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 321 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 32.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fordyce School District spends $21,899 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and above the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.6% from local sources (property taxes), 57.0% from the state, and 24.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Fordyce 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 | 11.6:1 | ▼ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 24.1% | ▼ 59% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 321 | top 37% | — | — |
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
24.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 59% 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
11.6:1
students per teacher
— 15% below state mean
Top 28% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
32.7%
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
$21,899
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 321 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
88
in-school suspensions + 138 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 27.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 70.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 321 Top 37% in Arkansas — larger than 63% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 31.0
Students per teacher 11.6:1 -15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 24.1% -59% vs state
NCES ID 050621000335
Student demographics
African American 59.8%
White 34.3%
Hispanic or Latino 4.4%
Two or More 1.6%
Largest group: African American at 59.8% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 321:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 32.7%
In-school suspensions 88
Out-of-school suspensions 138
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fordyce School District, which includes Fordyce High School.
$21,899
Per student
+53%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
+12%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.6%
State 57.0%
Federal 24.4%
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
- 338
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
Similar other schools in Fordyce
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Fordyce High School
How many students attend Fordyce High School?
Fordyce High School has 321 students enrolled. It is a other school in FORDYCE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fordyce High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Fordyce High School is 11.6:1, which is 15% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 27% 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 Fordyce High School?
24.1% of students at Fordyce High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fordyce High School?
The largest demographic group at Fordyce High School is African American at 59.8%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORDYCE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fordyce High School?
Fordyce High School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) 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.