Enrollment
563
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Forrest City, AR
Forrest City High School
Federal NCES profile for Forrest City High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050627000344
👥 S:T ratio 64
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 1
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forrest City High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #2 of 4
- public schools in Forrest City · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.9:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 98.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Forrest City High School has class sizes smaller than 83% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forrest City High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Forrest City, AR.
School address
District: Forrest City School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050627000344 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
63.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
98.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+67% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forrest City High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forrest City High School
Forrest City High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized high school in Forrest City, Arkansas, enrolling 563 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 8.9:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 98.6% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 563 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 124 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #47.
Its student body is predominantly African American (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 282 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 39.8% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 40.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 419 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 563 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Forrest City School District also operates Central Elementary School (713 students) and Stewart Elementary School (400 students) alongside Forrest City 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 Forrest City High School compares
Forrest City 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 | 8.9:1 | ▼ 35% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 98.6% | ▲ 67% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 563 | top 24% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.9:1
Leaner classes than 93% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
563
Bigger than 69% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
98.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 67% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.9:1
students per teacher
- 35% below state mean
Top 17% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 83% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
39.8%
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
$13,992
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 282 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
203
in-school suspensions + 216 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 36.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 74.4 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 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 95.2%
White 2.3%
Hispanic or Latino 1.4%
Asian 0.4%
Two or More 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 95.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.3, Forrest City High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forrest City School District, which includes Forrest City High School.
$13,992
Per student
+14%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 42.0%
Federal 40.2%
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 Forrest City High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Stewart Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forrest City Jr. High | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forrest City High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
- Enrollment
- 132
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
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 (~563 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forrest City High School's federal record.
- Compare Forrest City High School against another school. Compare schools
- Forrest City 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 Forrest City High School
How many students attend Forrest City High School?
Forrest City High School has 563 students enrolled. It is a high school in Forrest City, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forrest City High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Forrest City High School is 8.9:1, which is 35% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 43% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forrest City High School?
98.6% of students at Forrest City High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forrest City High School?
The largest demographic group at Forrest City High School is African American at 95.2% of enrollment, in Forrest City, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forrest City High School?
Forrest City High School has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (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 Forrest City High School rank among public schools in Forrest City?
By Resource Investment Index, Forrest City High School ranks #2 of 4 public schools in Forrest City, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Forrest City on the city page.
Is Forrest City High School a good school?
Forrest City High School earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 83% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Forrest City School District?
Besides Forrest City High School, Forrest City School District also operates Central Elementary School (713 students), Stewart Elementary School (400 students), and Forrest City Jr. High (270 students). See the Forrest City 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.