Enrollment
303
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050411000286
Gary E. Cobb Middle School — Texarkana, AR
Federal NCES profile for Gary E. Cobb Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 48/100.
👥 Class size 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 42
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: Genoa Central 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)
18.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
31.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-47% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gary E. Cobb Middle School 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
Gary E. Cobb Middle School reports 303 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 18.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.3:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 5% 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 10% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 31.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 47% below the Arkansas average and 39% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 303 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 23.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Genoa Central School District spends $15,384 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 18.1% from local sources (property taxes), 66.9% from the state, and 15.0% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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 Gary E. Cobb Middle School 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 | 14.3:1 | ▲ 5% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 31.5% | ▼ 47% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 303 | top 33% | — | — |
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
31.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 47% 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
14.3:1
students per teacher
— 5% above state mean
Top 52% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 48% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
23.4%
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
$15,384
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 303 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
57
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 18.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 19.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 303 Top 33% in Arkansas — larger than 67% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 18.0
Students per teacher 14.3:1 +5% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 31.5% -47% vs state
NCES ID 050411000286
Student demographics
White 95.4%
Two or More 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.3%
African American 0.7%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 95.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 303:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 23.4%
In-school suspensions 57
Out-of-school suspensions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Genoa Central School District, which includes Gary E. Cobb Middle School.
$15,384
Per student
+8%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-21%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 18.1%
State 66.9%
Federal 15.0%
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
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Enrollment
- 287
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Enrollment
- 258
- Students per teacher
- 8:1
Similar elementary schools in Texarkana
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Edward D. Trice Elem. School
Standard public school
473 students 14:1 students per teacher
College Hill Harmony Leadership Academy
Standard public school
391 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Vera Kilpatrick Elem. School
Standard public school
373 students 14.8:1 students per teacher
Genoa Central Elem. School
Standard public school
365 students 16.1:1 students per teacher
Fairview Elementary School
Standard public school
246 students 14.6:1 students per teacher
North Heights Community School
Standard public school
243 students 17.2:1 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 Gary E. Cobb Middle School
How many students attend Gary E. Cobb Middle School?
Gary E. Cobb Middle School has 303 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in TEXARKANA, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gary E. Cobb Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gary E. Cobb Middle School is 14.3:1, which is 5% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gary E. Cobb Middle School?
31.5% of students at Gary E. Cobb Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gary E. Cobb Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Gary E. Cobb Middle School is White at 95.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in TEXARKANA, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gary E. Cobb Middle School?
Gary E. Cobb Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (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.