Enrollment
503
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Mena, AR
Mena High School
Federal NCES profile for Mena High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 47/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050975000713
👥 S:T ratio 67
📚 AP courses 35
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 47
📋 Attendance 13
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Mena High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Arkansas schools.
- #4 of 7
- public schools in Mena · Resource Index
- 47
- Resource Index · Typical
- 8.2:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 40.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Mena High School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Mena High School ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Mena, AR.
School address
District: Mena School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050975000713 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
61.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
40.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-32% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Mena High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Mena High School
Mena High School is a mid-sized high school in Mena, Arkansas, enrolling 503 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.2:1, Mena High School is leaner than roughly 85% of Arkansas schools and 40% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 40.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 503 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 281 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #69.
Its student body is predominantly White (86% of enrollment) (diversity index 26/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 7 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 265 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 28.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 108 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 503 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Mena School District also operates Holly Harshman Elem. School (438 students) and Mena Middle School (393 students) alongside Mena High School.
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 Mena High School compares
Mena 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 | 8.2:1 | ▼ 40% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 40.2% | ▼ 32% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 503 | top 32% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.2:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
503
Bigger than 62% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
40.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 32% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
8.2:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 15% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
34.6%
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
$11,976
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
Counselors1.9 FTE
Per 265 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
90
in-school suspensions + 18 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 21.5 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 85.9%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Two or More 3.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.2%
Asian 2.0%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 85.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 25.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 25.7, Mena High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mena School District, which includes Mena High School.
$11,976
Per student
-2%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-28%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 43.5%
Federal 28.1%
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 Mena High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Holly Harshman Elem. School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Mena Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Louise Durham Elem. School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Polk County Virtual Academy | Smaller | No free-lunch data | No ratio data |
Comparisons are relative to Mena High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 19:1
- Resource Index
- 44/100
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 12
- Students per teacher
- -
- Resource Index
- 89/100
Similar high 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 (~503 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Mena High School's federal record.
- Compare Mena High School against another school. Compare schools
- Mena 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 Mena High School
How many students attend Mena High School?
Mena High School has 503 students enrolled. It is a high school in Mena, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Mena High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Mena High School is 8.2:1, which is 40% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 48% 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 Mena High School?
40.2% of students at Mena High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Mena High School?
The largest demographic group at Mena High School is White at 85.9% of enrollment, in Mena, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Mena High School?
Mena High School has a Resource Investment Index of 47/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Mena High School rank among public schools in Mena?
By Resource Investment Index, Mena High School ranks #4 of 7 public schools in Mena, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Mena on the city page.
Is Mena High School a good school?
Mena High School earns 47/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Mena School District?
Besides Mena High School, Mena School District also operates Holly Harshman Elem. School (438 students), Mena Middle School (393 students), and Louise Durham Elem. School (357 students). See the Mena 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.