Enrollment
539
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · West Helena, AR
J.F. Wahl Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for J.F. Wahl Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050768001637
👥 S:T ratio 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 46
📋 Attendance 46
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
J.F. Wahl Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Arkansas schools.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.3:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 539
- students enrolled
J.F. Wahl Elementary School has class sizes larger than 74% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Helena/ W.Helena School Dist. · Arkansas
NCES ID 050768001637 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
33.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+20% 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
What stands out at J.F. Wahl Elementary School
J.F. Wahl Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in West Helena, Arkansas, enrolling 539 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 above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 539 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 127 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #33.
Its student body is predominantly African American (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 17/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 270 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 21.5% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 30.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 220 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 539 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Helena/ W.Helena School Dist., also runs Central High School (439 students).
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 J.F. Wahl Elementary School compares
J.F. Wahl Elementary 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 | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 539 | top 27% | - | - |
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.
539
Bigger than 66% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
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
21.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
At or above 20%, the commonly used threshold for "high" chronic absenteeism, signaling significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$14,123
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat 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
- 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
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.
Student-body diversity index 17.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.1, J.F. Wahl Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Helena/ W.Helena School Dist., which includes J.F. Wahl Elementary School.
$14,123
Per student
+15%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How J.F. Wahl Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to J.F. Wahl Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 439
- Students per teacher
- 7.4:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~539 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on J.F. Wahl Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare J.F. Wahl Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Helena/ W.Helena School Dist.'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 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 public 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 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 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% of enrollment, 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 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).
Is J.F. Wahl Elementary School a good school?
J.F. Wahl Elementary 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 Helena/ W.Helena School Dist.?
Besides J.F. Wahl Elementary School, Helena/ W.Helena School Dist. also operates Central High School (439 students). See the Helena/ W.Helena School Dist. 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.