Enrollment
245
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Pine Bluff, AR
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff
Federal NCES profile for Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 2/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050042305134Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 2
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff earns 2/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #9 of 9
- elementary schools in Pine Bluff · Resource Index
- 2
- Resource Index · Lower
- 24.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 52.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff has class sizes larger than 99% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff ranks #9 of 9 elementary schools in Pine Bluff, AR.
School address
District: Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff · Arkansas
NCES ID 050042305134 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
24.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+80% 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
What stands out at Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff is a higher-need, mid-sized charter elementary school in Pine Bluff, Arkansas, enrolling 245 students.
Class loads run heavy: 24.5:1 is larger than about 99% of Arkansas schools and 80% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 52.2% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 245 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 100% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 150 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #150, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
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 (469 students) and Friendship Academy Little Rock Elementary (200 students) alongside Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff.
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 Downtown Pine Bluff compares
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 24.5:1 | ▲ 80% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 52.2% | ▼ 12% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 245 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
24.5:1
Leaner classes than 6% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
245
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
24.5:1
students per teacher
- 80% above state mean
Top 99% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 1% of state schools
Well above 20:1, one of the more stretched staffing loads nationally relative to enrollment.
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.
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 95.9%
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.
Student-body diversity index 8.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.0, Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff, which includes Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff.
$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 Downtown Pine Bluff Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Friendship Aspire Academy | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Friendship Academy Little Rock Elementary | Similar size | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Friendship Aspire Academy Southeast Pine Bluff | Smaller | Similar 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 Downtown Pine Bluff's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 469
- Students per teacher
- 23.4:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- 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 (~245 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff's federal record.
- Compare Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff 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 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 an 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 24.5:1, which is 80% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 56% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, 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 2/100 (lower reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 1 factor: student-teacher ratio. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology). Limited indicators were available, so the index reflects partial data.
How does Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff rank among elementary schools in Pine Bluff?
By Resource Investment Index, Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff ranks #9 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 Downtown Pine Bluff a good school?
Friendship Aspire Academy Downtown Pine Bluff earns 2/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 99% 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 Downtown Pine Bluff, Friendship Aspire Academy Pine Bluff also operates Friendship Aspire Academy (469 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.