Enrollment
140
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Little Rock, AR
Nichols Intermediate Academy
Federal NCES profile for Nichols Intermediate Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 63/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050042101669Charter school
👥 S:T ratio 38
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 72
📋 Attendance 72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Nichols Intermediate Academy earns 63/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #1 of 28
- elementary schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 63
- Resource Index · Higher
- 15.6:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Nichols Intermediate Academy has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Nichols Intermediate Academy ranks #1 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Scholarmade Achievement Place · Arkansas
NCES ID 050042101669 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
9.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
15.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+15% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Nichols Intermediate Academy compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Nichols Intermediate Academy
Nichols Intermediate Academy is a high-poverty, small charter elementary school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 140 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 15.6:1 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.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 93% of Arkansas schools, with 140 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index outscores 93% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, a top-tier result on this measure.
Against 60 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #13.
Counselor coverage is strong, about 140 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
11.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 32.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Scholarmade Achievement Place also operates Ivy Hill Academy of Scholarship (306 students) and Prodigy Preparatory Academy of Service (91 students) alongside Nichols Intermediate 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 Nichols Intermediate Academy compares
Nichols Intermediate 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 | 15.6:1 | ▲ 15% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 140 | top 93% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
15.6:1
Leaner classes than 41% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
140
Bigger than 14% 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
15.6:1
students per teacher
- 15% above state mean
Top 67% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 33% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
11.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 10-15% range, above the pre-pandemic national baseline but within the broader post-pandemic picture.
Funding equity
$14,067
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 140 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 5.0 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Scholarmade Achievement Place, which includes Nichols Intermediate Academy.
$14,067
Per student
+15%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 0.7%
State 66.9%
Federal 32.4%
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 Nichols Intermediate Academy Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ivy Hill Academy of Scholarship | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Prodigy Preparatory Academy of Service | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Nichols Intermediate Academy's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 306
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 91
- Students per teacher
- 9.1:1
- Resource Index
- 71/100
Similar elementary 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 (~140 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Nichols Intermediate Academy's federal record.
- Compare Nichols Intermediate Academy against another school. Compare schools
- Scholarmade Achievement Place'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 Nichols Intermediate Academy
How many students attend Nichols Intermediate Academy?
Nichols Intermediate Academy has 140 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Little Rock, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Nichols Intermediate Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Nichols Intermediate Academy is 15.6:1, which is 15% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 1% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Nichols Intermediate Academy?
100.0% of students at Nichols Intermediate Academy are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Nichols Intermediate Academy?
Nichols Intermediate Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 63/100 (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).
How does Nichols Intermediate Academy rank among elementary schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Nichols Intermediate Academy ranks #1 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Nichols Intermediate Academy a good school?
Nichols Intermediate Academy earns 63/100 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 Scholarmade Achievement Place?
Besides Nichols Intermediate Academy, Scholarmade Achievement Place also operates Ivy Hill Academy of Scholarship (306 students) and Prodigy Preparatory Academy of Service (91 students). See the Scholarmade Achievement Place 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.