Enrollment
469
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pine Bluff, AR
Friendship Aspire Academy
Federal NCES profile for Friendship Aspire Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 40/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050042301657Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 6
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 64
📋 Attendance 61
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Friendship Aspire Academy earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #4 of 9
- elementary schools in Pine Bluff · Resource Index
- 40
- Resource Index · Typical
- 23.4:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 62.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Friendship Aspire Academy has class sizes larger than 98% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Friendship Aspire Academy ranks #4 of 9 elementary schools in Pine Bluff, AR.
School address
District: Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff · Arkansas
NCES ID 050042301657 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
23.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+72% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
62.7%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+6% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Friendship Aspire Academy compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Friendship Aspire Academy
Friendship Aspire Academy is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, enrolling 469 students.
Class loads run heavy: 23.4:1 is larger than about 98% of Arkansas schools and 72% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 62.7% of students eligible for free meals.
With 469 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 184 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #103.
Its student body is predominantly African American (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 180 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
15.8% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 33.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff also operates Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff (245 students) and Friendship Academy Little Rock Elementary (200 students) alongside Friendship Aspire Academy.
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 Friendship Aspire Academy compares
Friendship Aspire Academy on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 23.4:1 | ▲ 72% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 62.7% | ▲ 6% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 469 | top 37% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
23.4:1
Leaner classes than 7% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
469
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
62.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 6% 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
23.4:1
students per teacher
- 72% above state mean
Top 98% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
15.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,879
per pupil, district-wide
- below 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
Counselors2.6 FTE
Per 180 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 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
African American 95.3%
White 1.3%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
Asian 0.9%
Two or More 0.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 95.3% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 9.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 9.1, Friendship Aspire Academy is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff, which includes Friendship Aspire Academy.
$11,879
Per student
-3%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.4%
State 66.6%
Federal 33.0%
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 Friendship Aspire Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff | Smaller | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Friendship Academy Little Rock Elementary | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast Pine Bluff | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Friendship Aspire Academy Little Rock Middle School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Friendship Aspire Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 245
- Students per teacher
- 24.5:1
- Resource Index
- 2/100
- Enrollment
- 200
- Students per teacher
- 14.3:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 76
- Students per teacher
- 4.2:1
- Resource Index
- 83/100
- Enrollment
- 62
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
Similar elementary 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 (~469 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Friendship Aspire Academy's federal record.
- Compare Friendship Aspire Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff'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 Friendship Aspire Academy
How many students attend Friendship Aspire Academy?
Friendship Aspire Academy has 469 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Pine Bluff, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Friendship Aspire Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Friendship Aspire Academy is 23.4:1, which is 72% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 49% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Friendship Aspire Academy?
62.7% of students at Friendship Aspire Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Friendship Aspire Academy?
The largest demographic group at Friendship Aspire Academy is African American at 95.3% of enrollment, in Pine Bluff, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Friendship Aspire Academy?
Friendship Aspire Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 40/100 (typical 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 Friendship Aspire Academy rank among elementary schools in Pine Bluff?
By Resource Investment Index, Friendship Aspire Academy ranks #4 of 9 elementary schools in Pine Bluff, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Pine Bluff on the city page.
Is Friendship Aspire Academy a good school?
Friendship Aspire Academy earns 40/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 98% 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 Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff?
Besides Friendship Aspire Academy, Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff also operates Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff (245 students), Friendship Academy Little Rock Elementary (200 students), and Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast Pine Bluff (76 students). See the Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff 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.