Enrollment
391
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Heber Springs, AR
Heber Springs Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Heber Springs Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 050756000468
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 22
📋 Attendance 71
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Heber Springs Middle School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Arkansas schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Heber Springs · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
Heber Springs Middle School has class sizes larger than 74% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Heber Springs Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Heber Springs, AR.
School address
District: Heber Springs School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050756000468 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+20% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Heber Springs Middle School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Heber Springs Middle School
Heber Springs Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Heber Springs, Arkansas, enrolling 391 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.3:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 391 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 238 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #80.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 19/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 391 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
11.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 21.3% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 132 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 391 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Heber Springs School District also operates Heber Springs Elem. School (743 students) and Heber Springs High School (483 students) alongside Heber Springs Middle 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 Middle School compares
Heber Springs Middle 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 | 16.3:1 | ▲ 20% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 40% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 391 | top 51% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
391
Bigger than 46% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher
- 20% above state mean
Top 74% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 391 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
104
in-school suspensions + 28 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 33.8 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 90.0%
Two or More 4.9%
Hispanic or Latino 3.8%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 90.0% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 18.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 18.6, Heber Springs Middle 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 Middle 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 Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heber Springs Elem. School | Larger | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Heber Springs High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Heber Springs Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 743
- Students per teacher
- 18.6:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 483
- Students per teacher
- 8.5:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
Similar middle 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 (~391 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Heber Springs Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Heber Springs Middle 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 Middle School
How many students attend Heber Springs Middle School?
Heber Springs Middle School has 391 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Heber Springs, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Heber Springs Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Heber Springs Middle School is 16.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Heber Springs Middle School?
35.5% of students at Heber Springs Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Heber Springs Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Heber Springs Middle School is White at 90.0% of enrollment, in Heber Springs, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Heber Springs Middle School?
Heber Springs Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Middle School rank among public schools in Heber Springs?
By Resource Investment Index, Heber Springs Middle School ranks #2 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 Middle School a good school?
Heber Springs Middle School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% 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 Middle School, Heber Springs School District also operates Heber Springs Elem. School (743 students) and Heber Springs High School (483 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.