Enrollment
2,231
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
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 57/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 050633000367
👥 S:T ratio 55
📚 AP courses 70
🌟 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 57/100 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
- 57
- 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
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050633000367 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
200.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-18% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
61.9%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+5% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Northside High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Northside High School
Northside High School is a higher-need, large high school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enrolling 2,231 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 above the state's typical profile, with 61.9% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arkansas, bigger than 99% of state schools at 2,231 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (55%) and White (18%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 63/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 14 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 328 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 912 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 2,231 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Fort Smith School District also operates Southside High School (2,053 students) and Ramsey Junior High School (801 students) alongside Northside 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 Northside High School compares
Northside 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 | 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 (what these measure)
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
$12,206
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
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.
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
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
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Smith School District, which includes Northside High School.
$12,206
Per student
0%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 44.3%
Federal 20.2%
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 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
- Enrollment
- 2,053
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
- Enrollment
- 711
- Students per teacher
- 15.1:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
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 (~2,231 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Northside High School's federal record.
- Compare Northside High School against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Smith 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 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.
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 57/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, 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.
Is Northside High School a good school?
Northside High School earns 57/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 72% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Arkansas. 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 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.
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.