Enrollment
779
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050900001724
J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School — Little Rock, AR
Federal NCES profile for J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 30/100.
👥 Class size 48
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
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: Little Rock 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)
69.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
78.3%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory 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
J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School reports 779 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 69.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 4% below the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 18% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 78.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 32% above the Arkansas average and 51% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 779 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 66.9% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Little Rock School District spends $15,987 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.7% from local sources (property taxes), 26.7% from the state, and 20.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F), 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 J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory 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 | 13:1 | ▼ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 78.3% | ▲ 32% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 779 | top 92% | — | — |
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
78.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 32% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
13:1
students per teacher
— 4% below state mean
Top 39% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
66.9%
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
$15,987
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 779 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
12
in-school suspensions + 47 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 7.6 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 10 expulsions.
Overview
Enrollment 779 Top 92% in Arkansas — larger than 8% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 69.0
Students per teacher 13:1 -4% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 78.3% +32% vs state
NCES ID 050900001724
Student demographics
African American 68.2%
Hispanic or Latino 19.9%
White 9.4%
Two or More 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
Asian 0.6%
Largest group: African American at 68.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 779:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 66.9%
In-school suspensions 12
Out-of-school suspensions 47
Expulsions 10
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School.
$15,987
Per student
+12%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Little Rock
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Arkansas Virtual Academy
Standard public school
1,387 students 28.9:1 students per teacher
Don Roberts Elementary School
Standard public school
1,035 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
Forest Heights Stem Academy
Standard public school
777 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Exalt Academy of Southwest Little Rock
Standard public school
754 students 10:1 students per teacher
Estem Elementary School
Standard public school
672 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
Estem East Village Elementary Public Charter School
Standard public school
609 students 14.8:1 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 J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School
How many students attend J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School?
J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School has 779 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School?
The student-teacher ratio at J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School is 13:1, which is 4% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School?
78.3% of students at J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School?
The largest demographic group at J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School is African American at 68.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School?
J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (F) 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.