Enrollment
743
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Heber Springs, AR
Heber Springs Elem. School
Federal NCES profile for Heber Springs Elem. School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050756000466
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 1
📋 Attendance 80
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heber Springs Elem. School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of Arkansas schools.
- #3 of 3
- public schools in Heber Springs · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.6:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 46.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Heber Springs Elem. School has class sizes larger than 89% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heber Springs Elem. School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Heber Springs, AR.
School address
District: Heber Springs School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050756000466 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
40.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+37% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
46.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-22% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heber Springs Elem. School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heber Springs Elem. School
Heber Springs Elem. School is a large combined-grade school in Heber Springs, Arkansas, enrolling 743 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.6:1 is larger than about 89% of Arkansas schools and 37% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 46.4% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arkansas, bigger than 90% of state schools at 743 students.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 189 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #77.
Its student body is predominantly White (89% of enrollment) (diversity index 20/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 495 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.1% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 21.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Heber Springs School District also operates Heber Springs High School (483 students) and Heber Springs Middle School (391 students) alongside Heber Springs Elem. 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 Heber Springs Elem. School compares
Heber Springs Elem. 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 | 18.6:1 | ▲ 37% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 46.4% | ▼ 22% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 743 | top 10% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.6:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
743
Bigger than 83% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
46.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 22% 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
18.6:1
students per teacher
- 37% above state mean
Top 89% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 11% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$10,159
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 495 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
9
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.3 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
White 89.0%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 4.0%
African American 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.1%
Largest group: White at 89.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 20.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 20.4, Heber Springs Elem. School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Heber Springs School District, which includes Heber Springs Elem. School.
$10,159
Per student
-17%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 51.8%
State 26.9%
Federal 21.3%
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 Heber Springs Elem. School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heber Springs High School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Heber Springs Middle School | Smaller | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heber Springs Elem. School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
- Enrollment
- 391
- Students per teacher
- 16.3:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other 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 (~743 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heber Springs Elem. School's federal record.
- Compare Heber Springs Elem. School against another school. Compare schools
- Heber Springs 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 Heber Springs Elem. School
How many students attend Heber Springs Elem. School?
Heber Springs Elem. School has 743 students enrolled. It is a public school in Heber Springs, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heber Springs Elem. School?
The student-teacher ratio at Heber Springs Elem. School is 18.6:1, which is 37% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 18% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heber Springs Elem. School?
46.4% of students at Heber Springs Elem. School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heber Springs Elem. School?
The largest demographic group at Heber Springs Elem. School is White at 89.0% of enrollment, in Heber Springs, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heber Springs Elem. School?
Heber Springs Elem. School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (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 Heber Springs Elem. School rank among public schools in Heber Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Heber Springs Elem. School ranks #3 of 3 public schools in Heber Springs, 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 Heber Springs on the city page.
Is Heber Springs Elem. School a good school?
Heber Springs Elem. School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 89% of 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 Heber Springs School District?
Besides Heber Springs Elem. School, Heber Springs School District also operates Heber Springs High School (483 students) and Heber Springs Middle School (391 students). See the Heber Springs 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.