Enrollment
458
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Melbourne, AR
Melbourne Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Melbourne Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050972000710
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 69
📋 Attendance 43
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Melbourne Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 11.2:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 32.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 458
- students enrolled
Melbourne Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 72% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Melbourne School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050972000710 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
32.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-46% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Melbourne Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Melbourne Elementary School
Melbourne Elementary School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Melbourne, Arkansas, enrolling 458 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.2:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 32.2% of students eligible for free meals.
With 458 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 230 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #15, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 9/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 153 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.9% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 23.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Melbourne School District, also runs Melbourne High School (381 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 Melbourne Elementary School compares
Melbourne 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 | 11.2:1 | ▼ 18% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 32.2% | ▼ 46% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 458 | top 39% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.2:1
Leaner classes than 82% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
458
Bigger than 56% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
32.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 46% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
11.2:1
students per teacher
- 18% below state mean
Top 28% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 72% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
22.9%
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
$11,152
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 153 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.2 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
White 95.4%
Hispanic or Latino 2.0%
Two or More 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 95.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 8.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 8.9, Melbourne 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 Melbourne School District, which includes Melbourne Elementary School.
$11,152
Per student
-9%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 31.6%
State 44.9%
Federal 23.4%
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 Melbourne Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Melbourne Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 381
- Students per teacher
- 6.6:1
- Resource Index
- 65/100
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 (~458 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Melbourne Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Melbourne Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Melbourne 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 Melbourne Elementary School
How many students attend Melbourne Elementary School?
Melbourne Elementary School has 458 students enrolled. It is a public school in Melbourne, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Melbourne Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Melbourne Elementary School is 11.2:1, which is 18% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 29% 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 Melbourne Elementary School?
32.2% of students at Melbourne Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Melbourne Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Melbourne Elementary School is White at 95.4% of enrollment, in Melbourne, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Melbourne Elementary School?
Melbourne Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (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 Melbourne Elementary School a good school?
Melbourne Elementary School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Melbourne School District?
Besides Melbourne Elementary School, Melbourne School District also operates Melbourne High School (381 students). See the Melbourne 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.