Enrollment
106
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050633005147 Charter school
Fort Smith Virtual Academy — Fort Smith, AR
Federal NCES profile for Fort Smith Virtual Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 65/100.
👥 Class size 65
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: Fort Smith 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)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
65.8%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+11% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fort Smith Virtual Academy 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
Fort Smith Virtual Academy reports 106 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 9.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 8.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 35% 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 45% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 65.8% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 11% above the Arkansas average and 27% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fort Smith School District spends $15,628 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 35.4% from local sources (property taxes), 44.3% from the state, and 20.2% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-), calculated from 1 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 Fort Smith Virtual Academy 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 | 8.8:1 | ▼ 35% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 65.8% | ▲ 11% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 106 | top 4% | — | — |
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
65.8%
free-lunch eligible
— 11% 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
8.8:1
students per teacher
— 35% below state mean
Top 16% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 84% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Funding equity
$15,628
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Overview
Enrollment 106 Top 4% in Arkansas — larger than 96% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 9.0
Students per teacher 8.8:1 -35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 65.8% +11% vs state
NCES ID 050633005147
Student demographics
White 47.2%
Hispanic or Latino 21.7%
African American 15.1%
Two or More 14.2%
Asian 1.9%
Largest group: White at 47.2% of enrollment.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Smith School District, which includes Fort Smith Virtual Academy.
$15,628
Per student
+10%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-20%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 44.3%
Federal 20.2%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,231
- Students per teacher
- 12.2:1
- Enrollment
- 2,053
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 13.6:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.9:1
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 15.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Fort Smith
1 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) 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 Fort Smith Virtual Academy
How many students attend Fort Smith Virtual Academy?
Fort Smith Virtual Academy has 106 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in FORT SMITH, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fort Smith Virtual Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Fort Smith Virtual Academy is 8.8:1, which is 35% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 45% 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 Fort Smith Virtual Academy?
65.8% of students at Fort Smith Virtual Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fort Smith Virtual Academy?
The largest demographic group at Fort Smith Virtual Academy is White at 47.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in FORT SMITH, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fort Smith Virtual Academy?
Fort Smith Virtual Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (B-) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.