Enrollment
252
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Gurdon, AR
Gurdon High School
Federal NCES profile for Gurdon High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 42/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050711000430
👥 S:T ratio 60
📚 AP courses 20
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 50
📋 Attendance 12
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Gurdon High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Arkansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Gurdon · Resource Index
- 42
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.1:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 53.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Gurdon High School has class sizes smaller than 78% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Gurdon High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Gurdon, AR.
School address
District: Gurdon School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050711000430 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.1:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-26% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
53.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-9% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Gurdon High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Gurdon High School
Gurdon High School is a higher-need, mid-sized high school in Gurdon, Arkansas, enrolling 252 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.1:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 53.6% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 252 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 152 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #90.
Its student body is led by White (53%) and African American (24%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 62/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 4 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 252 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 35.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
The surrounding Gurdon School District spends $17,563 per pupil, 43% above the Arkansas average, a better-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 15.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 97 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 252 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Gurdon School District also operates Gurdon Primary School (365 students) and Cabe Middle School (170 students) alongside Gurdon High School.
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 Gurdon High School compares
Gurdon High School on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 10.1:1 | ▼ 26% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 53.6% | ▼ 9% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 252 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.1:1
Leaner classes than 88% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
252
Bigger than 26% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
53.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 9% 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
10.1:1
students per teacher
- 26% below state mean
Top 22% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 78% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
35.3%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$17,563
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat above the U.S. public-school average, reflecting higher local or state investment per enrolled student.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 252 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
61
in-school suspensions + 36 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 24.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 38.5 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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
White 52.8%
African American 23.8%
Hispanic or Latino 21.4%
Two or More 2.0%
Largest group: White at 52.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 61.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 61.8, Gurdon High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 4
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Gurdon School District, which includes Gurdon High School.
$17,563
Per student
+43%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
+6%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 46.1%
State 38.5%
Federal 15.4%
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.
How Gurdon High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gurdon Primary School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Cabe Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Gurdon High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 365
- Students per teacher
- 21.5:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 170
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
Similar high 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 (~252 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Gurdon High School's federal record.
- Compare Gurdon High School against another school. Compare schools
- Gurdon School District'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 Gurdon High School
How many students attend Gurdon High School?
Gurdon High School has 252 students enrolled. It is a high school in Gurdon, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Gurdon High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Gurdon High School is 10.1:1, which is 26% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 36% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Gurdon High School?
53.6% of students at Gurdon High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Gurdon High School?
The largest demographic group at Gurdon High School is White at 52.8% of enrollment, in Gurdon, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 61.8/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Gurdon High School?
Gurdon High School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Gurdon High School rank among public schools in Gurdon?
By Resource Investment Index, Gurdon High School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Gurdon, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Gurdon on the city page.
Is Gurdon High School a good school?
Gurdon High School earns 42/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 78% of Arkansas schools. It is also more 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 Gurdon School District?
Besides Gurdon High School, Gurdon School District also operates Gurdon Primary School (365 students) and Cabe Middle School (170 students). See the Gurdon School District 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.