Enrollment
539
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050768001637
J.F. Wahl Elementary School — West Helena, AR
Federal NCES profile for J.F. Wahl Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 50/100.
👥 Class size 37
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 46
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: Helena/ W.Helena School Dist. · 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)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How J.F. Wahl Elementary 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.F. Wahl Elementary School reports 539 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 33.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 15.7:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 15% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 1% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% above the Arkansas average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 270 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Helena/ W.Helena School Dist. spends $16,504 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 26.8% from local sources (property taxes), 42.4% from the state, and 30.8% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-), 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.F. Wahl Elementary 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 | 15.7:1 | ▲ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 539 | top 73% | — | — |
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
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 69% 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
15.7:1
students per teacher
— 15% above state mean
Top 67% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.5%
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
$16,504
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 270 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
51
in-school suspensions + 169 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.8 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 539 Top 73% in Arkansas — larger than 27% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 33.0
Students per teacher 15.7:1 +15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +69% vs state
NCES ID 050768001637
Student demographics
African American 90.9%
White 5.0%
Two or More 1.5%
Asian 1.3%
Hispanic or Latino 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: African American at 90.9% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 270:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.5%
In-school suspensions 51
Out-of-school suspensions 169
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Helena/ W.Helena School Dist., which includes J.F. Wahl Elementary School.
$16,504
Per student
+16%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 26.8%
State 42.4%
Federal 30.8%
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
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 8.4:1
Similar other schools in West Helena
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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.F. Wahl Elementary School
How many students attend J.F. Wahl Elementary School?
J.F. Wahl Elementary School has 539 students enrolled. It is a other school in WEST HELENA, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at J.F. Wahl Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at J.F. Wahl Elementary School is 15.7:1, which is 15% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at J.F. Wahl Elementary School?
100.0% of students at J.F. Wahl Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of J.F. Wahl Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at J.F. Wahl Elementary School is African American at 90.9%. The school serves a diverse student body in WEST HELENA, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for J.F. Wahl Elementary School?
J.F. Wahl Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 50/100 (C-) 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.