Enrollment
438
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Mena, AR
Holly Harshman Elem. School
Federal NCES profile for Holly Harshman Elem. School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 44/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050975000715
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 3
📋 Attendance 78
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Holly Harshman Elem. School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Arkansas schools.
- #5 of 7
- public schools in Mena · Resource Index
- 44
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 49.7%
- free-lunch eligible
Holly Harshman Elem. School has class sizes larger than 91% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Holly Harshman Elem. School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Mena, AR.
School address
District: Mena School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050975000715 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
23.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
49.7%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-16% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Holly Harshman Elem. School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Holly Harshman Elem. School
Holly Harshman Elem. School is a mid-sized elementary school in Mena, Arkansas, enrolling 438 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19:1 is larger than about 91% of Arkansas schools and 40% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 49.7% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
With 438 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 295 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #146.
Its student body is predominantly White (85% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 487 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance holds up well here: only 8.7% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Mena School District also operates Mena High School (503 students) and Mena Middle School (393 students) alongside Holly Harshman 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 Holly Harshman Elem. School compares
Holly Harshman 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 | 19:1 | ▲ 40% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 49.7% | ▼ 16% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 438 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
438
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
49.7%
free-lunch eligible
- 16% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 91% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
8.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 5-10% range, close to the pre-pandemic national baseline.
Funding equity
$11,976
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.1 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 85.4%
Hispanic or Latino 8.0%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 0.7%
African American 0.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 26.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 26.2, Holly Harshman 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 Mena School District, which includes Holly Harshman Elem. School.
$11,976
Per student
-2%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 43.5%
Federal 28.1%
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 Holly Harshman Elem. School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mena High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Mena Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Louise Durham Elem. School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Polk County Virtual Academy | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Holly Harshman Elem. School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 89/100
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 (~438 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Holly Harshman Elem. School's federal record.
- Compare Holly Harshman Elem. School against another school. Compare schools
- Mena 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 Holly Harshman Elem. School
How many students attend Holly Harshman Elem. School?
Holly Harshman Elem. School has 438 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Mena, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Holly Harshman Elem. School?
The student-teacher ratio at Holly Harshman Elem. School is 19:1, which is 40% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Holly Harshman Elem. School?
49.7% of students at Holly Harshman Elem. School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Holly Harshman Elem. School?
The largest demographic group at Holly Harshman Elem. School is White at 85.4% of enrollment, in Mena, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Holly Harshman Elem. School?
Holly Harshman 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 Holly Harshman Elem. School rank among public schools in Mena?
By Resource Investment Index, Holly Harshman Elem. School ranks #5 of 7 public schools in Mena, 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 Mena on the city page.
Is Holly Harshman Elem. School a good school?
Holly Harshman Elem. School earns 44/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Mena School District?
Besides Holly Harshman Elem. School, Mena School District also operates Mena High School (503 students), Mena Middle School (393 students), and Louise Durham Elem. School (357 students). See the Mena 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.