Enrollment
491
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Hot Springs, AR
Fountain Lake Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Fountain Lake Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050642000383
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 2
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Fountain Lake Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #8 of 9
- schools in Hot Springs · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 42.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Fountain Lake Elementary has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Fountain Lake Elementary ranks #8 of 9 schools in Hot Springs, AR.
School address
District: Fountain Lake School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050642000383 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-29% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fountain Lake Elementary compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Fountain Lake Elementary
Fountain Lake Elementary is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Hot Springs, Arkansas, enrolling 491 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 42.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 491 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 289 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #267, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (88% of enrollment) (diversity index 22/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 491 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 43.0% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Fountain Lake School District also operates Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy (389 students) and Fountain Lake Charter High School (368 students) alongside Fountain Lake Elementary.
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 Fountain Lake Elementary compares
Fountain Lake Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 12.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.2% | ▼ 29% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 491 | top 34% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
491
Bigger than 60% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
42.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 29% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 39% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
43.0%
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
$12,931
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 491 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
48
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
White 87.8%
Hispanic or Latino 7.7%
Two or More 4.1%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 87.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 22.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 22.1, Fountain Lake Elementary is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fountain Lake School District, which includes Fountain Lake Elementary.
$12,931
Per student
+6%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-22%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 75.1%
State 10.5%
Federal 14.4%
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.
How Fountain Lake Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Fountain Lake Charter High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Fountain Lake Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 389
- Students per teacher
- 10:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 10.2:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
Similar other 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 (~491 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Fountain Lake Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Fountain Lake Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Fountain Lake 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 Fountain Lake Elementary
How many students attend Fountain Lake Elementary?
Fountain Lake Elementary has 491 students enrolled. It is a public school in Hot Springs, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fountain Lake Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Fountain Lake Elementary is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 Fountain Lake Elementary?
42.2% of students at Fountain Lake Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fountain Lake Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Fountain Lake Elementary is White at 87.8% of enrollment, in Hot Springs, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fountain Lake Elementary?
Fountain Lake Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (lower 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 Fountain Lake Elementary rank among schools in Hot Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Fountain Lake Elementary ranks #8 of 9 schools in Hot Springs, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Hot Springs on the city page.
Is Fountain Lake Elementary a good school?
Fountain Lake Elementary earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Fountain Lake School District?
Besides Fountain Lake Elementary, Fountain Lake School District also operates Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy (389 students) and Fountain Lake Charter High School (368 students). See the Fountain Lake 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.