Enrollment
132
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Forest City, AR
Lincoln Academy
Federal NCES profile for Lincoln Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 70/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 050627001185
👥 S:T ratio 47
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 74
📋 Attendance 91
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Lincoln Academy earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- 70
- Resource Index · Higher
- 13.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 132
- students enrolled
Lincoln Academy has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Forrest City School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050627001185 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
10.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-3% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Lincoln Academy compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Lincoln Academy
Lincoln Academy is a high-poverty, small middle school in Forest City, Arkansas, enrolling 132 students.
At 13.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arkansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 94% of Arkansas schools, with 132 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 98% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 49 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #5, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly African American (92% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 132 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance holds up well here: only 3.8% of students were chronically absent, below the typical post-pandemic national figure.
Its district draws 40.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Forrest City School District also operates Central Elementary School (713 students) and Forrest City High School (563 students) alongside Lincoln Academy.
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 Lincoln Academy compares
Lincoln Academy on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.2:1 | ▼ 3% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 132 | top 94% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
13.2:1
Leaner classes than 65% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
132
Bigger than 13% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
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
13.2:1
students per teacher
- 3% below state mean
Top 44% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 56% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
3.8%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 5%, comfortably under the pre-pandemic national baseline for chronic absenteeism.
Funding equity
$13,992
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 132 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 21 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.2 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 91.7%
White 3.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.0%
Asian 0.8%
Two or More 0.8%
Largest group: African American at 91.7% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 15.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 15.7, Lincoln Academy is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Forrest City School District, which includes Lincoln Academy.
$13,992
Per student
+14%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-16%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.8%
State 42.0%
Federal 40.2%
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 Lincoln Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forrest City High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Stewart Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Forrest City Jr. High | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Lincoln Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 23.8:1
- Resource Index
- 22/100
- Enrollment
- 563
- Students per teacher
- 8.9:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 400
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 54/100
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 (~132 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~13.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Lincoln Academy's federal record.
- Compare Lincoln Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Forrest City 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 Lincoln Academy
How many students attend Lincoln Academy?
Lincoln Academy has 132 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Forest City, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Lincoln Academy is 13.2:1, which is 3% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Lincoln Academy?
100.0% of students at Lincoln Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Lincoln Academy?
The largest demographic group at Lincoln Academy is African American at 91.7% of enrollment, in Forest City, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Lincoln Academy?
Lincoln Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 70/100 (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 Lincoln Academy a good school?
Lincoln Academy earns 70/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Forrest City School District?
Besides Lincoln Academy, Forrest City School District also operates Central Elementary School (713 students), Forrest City High School (563 students), and Stewart Elementary School (400 students). See the Forrest City 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.