Enrollment
389
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050642001605 Charter school
Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy — Hot Springs, AR
Federal NCES profile for Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 47/100.
👥 Class size 56
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 39
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: Fountain Lake 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)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
34.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep 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
Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy reports 389 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 11:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 19% 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 31% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 34.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 42% below the Arkansas average and 33% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 389 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 24.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Fountain Lake School District spends $13,818 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 75.1% from local sources (property taxes), 10.5% from the state, and 14.4% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D), calculated from 4 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 Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep 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 | 11:1 | ▼ 19% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 34.5% | ▼ 42% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 389 | top 49% | — | — |
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
34.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 42% 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
11:1
students per teacher
— 19% below state mean
Top 26% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
24.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$13,818
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 389 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
40
in-school suspensions + 14 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 389 Top 49% in Arkansas — larger than 51% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 11:1 -19% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 34.5% -42% vs state
NCES ID 050642001605
Student demographics
White 87.1%
Hispanic or Latino 8.7%
Two or More 2.6%
African American 1.3%
Asian 0.3%
Largest group: White at 87.1% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 389:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 24.4%
In-school suspensions 40
Out-of-school suspensions 14
Expulsions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fountain Lake School District, which includes Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy.
$13,818
Per student
-3%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 491
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Enrollment
- 368
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Hot Springs
2 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 Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy
How many students attend Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy?
Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy has 389 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in HOT SPRINGS, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy is 11:1, which is 19% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 31% 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 Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy?
34.5% of students at Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy?
The largest demographic group at Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy is White at 87.1%. The school serves a diverse student body in HOT SPRINGS, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy?
Fountain Lake Middle School Cobra Digital Prep Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.