High school (grades 9-12) · Fort Smith, AR

Northside High School

Federal NCES profile for Northside High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.

2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050633000367
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Compiled from official source data by .
0/100100/10053/100
👥 S:T ratio
55
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
34
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Northside High School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Arkansas.

#2 of 4
high schools in Fort Smith · Resource Index
53
Resource Index · Higher
11.2:1
small classes for Arkansas
61.9%
free-lunch eligible

Northside High School has class sizes smaller than 72% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Northside High School ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Fort Smith, AR.

School address

Fort Smith, AR 72901
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas

NCES ID 050633000367 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

-180 students YoY

Northside High School shrank from 2,433 students in 2022-23 to 2,253 in 2023-24 (-7.4%).

Teacher FTE lost 200.9 → 185.9 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Shrinking CCD campus

-180 students YoY 050633000367 · Fort Smith, AR High · LARGE · TRAD

2,231 enr · 11.2:1 · 61.9% lunch · RII 53

Nearest enrollment peer: Southside High School (2,053 students)

Northside High School shrank from 2,433 students in 2022-23 to 2,253 in 2023-24 (-7.4%). Teacher FTE lost 200.9 → 185.9 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Arkansas schools → · Find another →

Northside High School in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Northside High School reports 2,231 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Northside High School compares

Northside High School is a shrinking campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs 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 61.9% ▲ 5% 59.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 2,231 top 1% - -

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.
2,231
Bigger than 99% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
61.9%
free-lunch eligible - 5% 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
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.
Funding equity
$12,459
per pupil, district-wide - below Arkansas avg of $12,818
Well below the U.S. average per-pupil spend, a notably leaner funding position that may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors6.8 FTE
Per 328 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
592
in-school suspensions + 320 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 26.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.

Student demographics

Hispanic or Latino 55.3%
White 18.1%
African American 14.2%
Two or More 7.2%
Asian 4.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 55.3% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 63.4/100

Simpson diversity index - at 63.4, Northside High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.

Programs

AP courses offered 14
Gifted & talented Yes

District finance for Fort Smith School District reports $12,459 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Northside High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Southside High School Similar size Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Ramsey Junior High School Smaller Similar economic need Higher S:T ratio
L. a. Chaffin Jr. High School Smaller Lower economic need Higher S:T ratio
Dora Kimmons Jr. High School Smaller Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio
William O. Darby Jr. High Sch. Smaller Higher economic need Higher S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Northside High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Fort Smith School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide high schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~2,231 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)

Frequently asked questions about Northside High School

How many students attend Northside High School?

Northside High School has 2,231 students enrolled. It is a high school in Fort Smith, AR. CCD year-over-year: 2,433 (2022-23) → 2,253 (2023-24), down 180.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Northside High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Northside High 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 Northside High School?

61.9% of students at Northside High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Northside High School?

The largest demographic group at Northside High School is Hispanic or Latino at 55.3% of enrollment, in Fort Smith, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 63.4/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Northside High School?

Northside High School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 3 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

How does Northside High School rank among high schools in Fort Smith?

By Resource Investment Index, Northside High School ranks #2 of 4 high schools in Fort Smith, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all high schools in Fort Smith on the city page.

What other schools are in Fort Smith School District?

Besides Northside High School, Fort Smith School District also operates Southside High School (2,053 students), Ramsey Junior High School (801 students), and L. a. Chaffin Jr. High School (753 students). See the Fort Smith School District district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .