Enrollment
270
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Forrest City, AR
Forrest City Jr. High
Federal NCES profile for Forrest City Jr. High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 050627000345
👥 S:T ratio 36
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 64
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Forrest City Jr. High earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% of Arkansas schools.
- #1 of 4
- public schools in Forrest City · Resource Index
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.9:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Forrest City Jr. High has class sizes larger than 70% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Forrest City Jr. High ranks #1 of 4 public schools in Forrest City, AR.
School address
District: Forrest City School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050627000345 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Forrest City Jr. High compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Forrest City Jr. High
Forrest City Jr. High is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Forrest City, Arkansas, enrolling 270 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.9:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 270 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 152 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #56.
Its student body is predominantly African American (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 270 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
14.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 40.2% 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 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Forrest City School District also operates Central Elementary School (713 students) and Forrest City High School (563 students) alongside Forrest City Jr. High.
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 Jr. High compares
Forrest City Jr. High on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 15.9:1 | ▲ 17% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 270 | top 74% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.9:1
Leaner classes than 39% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
270
Bigger than 28% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% 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
15.9:1
students per teacher
- 17% above state mean
Top 70% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 30% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
14.4%
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
$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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 270 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 37 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 14.1 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 90.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
White 3.0%
Two or More 1.9%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 90.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.0, Forrest City Jr. High is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forrest City School District, which includes Forrest City Jr. High.
$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 Jr. High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forrest City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Stewart Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Lincoln Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Forrest City Jr. High'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
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 132
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 70/100
Similar middle 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 (~270 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Forrest City Jr. High's federal record.
- Compare Forrest City Jr. High 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 Jr. High
How many students attend Forrest City Jr. High?
Forrest City Jr. High has 270 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Forrest City, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Forrest City Jr. High?
The student-teacher ratio at Forrest City Jr. High is 15.9:1, which is 17% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 1% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Forrest City Jr. High?
100.0% of students at Forrest City Jr. High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Forrest City Jr. High?
The largest demographic group at Forrest City Jr. High is African American at 90.4% of enrollment, in Forrest City, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Forrest City Jr. High?
Forrest City Jr. High has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (higher 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 Forrest City Jr. High rank among public schools in Forrest City?
By Resource Investment Index, Forrest City Jr. High ranks #1 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 Jr. High a good school?
Forrest City Jr. High earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 70% 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 Forrest City School District?
Besides Forrest City Jr. High, Forrest City School District also operates Central Elementary School (713 students), Forrest City High School (563 students), and Stewart Elementary School (400 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.