Enrollment
441
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Van Buren, AR
Oliver Springs Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Oliver Springs Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 31/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 051341001699
👥 S:T ratio 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 14
📋 Attendance 14
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Oliver Springs Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% of Arkansas schools.
- 31
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.4:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 33.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 441
- students enrolled
Oliver Springs Elementary School has class sizes larger than 88% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Van Buren School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051341001699 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
24.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+35% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Oliver Springs Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Oliver Springs Elementary School
Oliver Springs Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Van Buren, Arkansas, enrolling 441 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.4:1 is larger than about 88% of Arkansas schools and 35% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.4% of students eligible for free meals.
With 441 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 92% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 232 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #213, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (67%) and Hispanic or Latino (19%) (diversity index 50/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 428 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 34.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Van Buren School District also operates Van Buren High School (1,232 students) and Northridge Middle School (713 students) alongside Oliver Springs Elementary 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 Oliver Springs Elementary School compares
Oliver Springs Elementary 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 | 18.4:1 | ▲ 35% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.4% | ▼ 44% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 441 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.4:1
Leaner classes than 22% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
441
Bigger than 54% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
18.4:1
students per teacher
- 35% above state mean
Top 88% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 12% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
34.2%
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
$11,226
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 428 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 7 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.5 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.1 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 66.9%
Hispanic or Latino 19.3%
Two or More 10.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.6%
African American 0.9%
Asian 0.7%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 66.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 50.4/100
Simpson diversity index - at 50.4, Oliver Springs Elementary School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren School District, which includes Oliver Springs Elementary School.
$11,226
Per student
-8%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 49.4%
Federal 21.6%
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 Oliver Springs Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van Buren High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Northridge Middle School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Butterfield Junior High School | Larger | Higher economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Van Buren Freshman Academy | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| J. J. Izard Elementary School | Similar size | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Oliver Springs Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 1,232
- Students per teacher
- 11.7:1
- Resource Index
- 37/100
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
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 (~441 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Oliver Springs Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Oliver Springs Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Van Buren 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 Oliver Springs Elementary School
How many students attend Oliver Springs Elementary School?
Oliver Springs Elementary School has 441 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Van Buren, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Oliver Springs Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Oliver Springs Elementary School is 18.4:1, which is 35% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 17% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Oliver Springs Elementary School?
33.4% of students at Oliver Springs Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Oliver Springs Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Oliver Springs Elementary School is White at 66.9% of enrollment, in Van Buren, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 50.4/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Oliver Springs Elementary School?
Oliver Springs Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 31/100 (lower 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).
Is Oliver Springs Elementary School a good school?
Oliver Springs Elementary School earns 31/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 88% 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 Van Buren School District?
Besides Oliver Springs Elementary School, Van Buren School District also operates Van Buren High School (1,232 students), Northridge Middle School (713 students), and Butterfield Junior High School (557 students). See the Van Buren 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.