Enrollment
777
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Little Rock, AR
Forest Heights Stem Academy
Federal NCES profile for Forest Heights Stem Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050900001601
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 65
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forest Heights Stem Academy earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools.
- #14 of 28
- elementary schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 16.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 35.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Forest Heights Stem Academy has class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Heights Stem Academy ranks #14 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Little Rock School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050900001601 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
47.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-41% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forest Heights Stem Academy compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forest Heights Stem Academy
Forest Heights Stem Academy is a large elementary school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 777 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arkansas, bigger than 92% of state schools at 777 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 168 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #82.
Its student body is led by African American (58%) and White (27%) (diversity index 58/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 777 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
14.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 20.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 4 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students) and Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students) alongside Forest Heights Stem Academy.
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 Forest Heights Stem Academy compares
Forest Heights Stem Academy on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 16.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.2% | ▼ 41% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 777 | top 8% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
777
Bigger than 84% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 41% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 76% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
14.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,597
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 777 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 4 expulsions.
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 58.3%
White 27.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.8%
Asian 4.0%
Two or More 1.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: African American at 58.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.7, Forest Heights Stem Academy is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Forest Heights Stem Academy.
$14,597
Per student
+19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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 Forest Heights Stem Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Little Rock Southwest High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkview Magnet High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Don Roberts Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chicot Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forest Heights Stem Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar elementary 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 (~777 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forest Heights Stem Academy's federal record.
- Compare Forest Heights Stem Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Little Rock School District'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 Forest Heights Stem Academy
How many students attend Forest Heights Stem Academy?
Forest Heights Stem Academy has 777 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Little Rock, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forest Heights Stem Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Forest Heights Stem Academy is 16.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forest Heights Stem Academy?
35.2% of students at Forest Heights Stem Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forest Heights Stem Academy?
The largest demographic group at Forest Heights Stem Academy is African American at 58.3% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forest Heights Stem Academy?
Forest Heights Stem Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Forest Heights Stem Academy rank among elementary schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Forest Heights Stem Academy ranks #14 of 28 elementary 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 elementary schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Forest Heights Stem Academy a good school?
Forest Heights Stem Academy earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% 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 Little Rock School District?
Besides Forest Heights Stem Academy, Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students), Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students), and Parkview Magnet High School (1,072 students). See the Little Rock School District 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.