Enrollment
381
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Melbourne, AR
Melbourne High School
Federal NCES profile for Melbourne High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 65/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050972000711
👥 S:T ratio 74
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 62
📋 Attendance 54
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Melbourne High School earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 65
- Resource Index · Higher
- 6.6:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 29.2%
- free-lunch eligible
- 381
- students enrolled
Melbourne High School has class sizes smaller than 91% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Melbourne School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050972000711 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
58.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
6.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-51% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Melbourne High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Melbourne High School
Melbourne High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Melbourne, Arkansas, enrolling 381 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 6.6:1, Melbourne High School is leaner than roughly 91% of Arkansas schools and 51% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 29.2% free-meal eligibility runs 51% below the Arkansas average.
With 381 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 95% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Among 185 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 White (95% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 10/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 192 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 18.4% 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 Elementary School (458 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 High School compares
Melbourne High 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 | 6.6:1 | ▼ 51% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.2% | ▼ 51% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 381 | top 52% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
6.6:1
Leaner classes than 97% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
381
Bigger than 44% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 51% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
6.6:1
students per teacher
- 51% below state mean
Top 9% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 91% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
18.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 191 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
26
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 6.8 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 9.7 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 94.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.4%
Asian 1.3%
African American 0.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 10.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 10.0, Melbourne High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 5
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Melbourne School District, which includes Melbourne High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Melbourne Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Melbourne High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 458
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 59/100
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 (~381 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~6.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Melbourne High School's federal record.
- Compare Melbourne High 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 High School
How many students attend Melbourne High School?
Melbourne High School has 381 students enrolled. It is a public school in Melbourne, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Melbourne High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Melbourne High School is 6.6:1, which is 51% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 58% 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 High School?
29.2% of students at Melbourne High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Melbourne High School?
The largest demographic group at Melbourne High School is White at 94.8% of enrollment, in Melbourne, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Melbourne High School?
Melbourne High School has a Resource Investment Index of 65/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Melbourne High School a good school?
Melbourne High School earns 65/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 91% 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 High School, Melbourne School District also operates Melbourne Elementary School (458 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.