Enrollment
245
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050042305134 Charter school
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff — Pine Bluff, AR
Federal NCES profile for Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 37/100.
👥 Class size 37
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: Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff · 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)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
52.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-12% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff 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
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff reports 245 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 10.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 52.2% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 12% below the Arkansas average and 1% above the national baseline.
On the finance side, the surrounding Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff spends $13,042 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 0.4% from local sources (property taxes), 66.6% from the state, and 33.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F), 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 Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.2% | ▼ 12% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 22% | — | — |
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
52.2%
free-lunch eligible
— 12% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 67% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Funding equity
$13,042
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.
Overview
Enrollment 245 Top 22% in Arkansas — larger than 78% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 10.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 52.2% -12% vs state
NCES ID 050042305134
Student demographics
African American 95.9%
Two or More 2.0%
White 1.2%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 95.9% of enrollment.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff, which includes Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff.
$13,042
Per student
-9%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 18.7:1
- Enrollment
- 200
- Students per teacher
- 17.2:1
- Enrollment
- 76
- Students per teacher
- 4.2:1
- Enrollment
- 62
- Students per teacher
- 16.8:1
Similar elementary schools in Pine Bluff
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Friendship Aspire Academy
Standard public school
469 students 18.7:1 students per teacher
Coleman Elementary School
Standard public school
426 students 13.7:1 students per teacher
Thirty-Fourth Ave. Elem. Sch.
Standard public school
399 students 14.7:1 students per teacher
Matthews Elementary School
Standard public school
367 students 15:1 students per teacher
Broadmoor Elementary School
Standard public school
283 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
L. L. Owen Elementary School
Standard public school
238 students 14:1 students per teacher
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 Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff
How many students attend Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff?
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff has 245 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in PINE BLUFF, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff?
The student-teacher ratio at Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff is 15.7:1, which is 15% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff?
52.2% of students at Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff?
The largest demographic group at Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff is African American at 95.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in PINE BLUFF, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff?
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (F) 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.