Enrollment
280
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Donaldson, AR
Ouachita Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Ouachita Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 54/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 051098000827
👥 S:T ratio 34
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 44
📋 Attendance 69
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Ouachita Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 54
- Resource Index · Higher
- 16.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 39.4%
- free-lunch eligible
- 280
- students enrolled
Ouachita Elementary School has class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Ouachita School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051098000827 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
17.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
16.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
39.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-33% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Ouachita Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Ouachita Elementary School
Ouachita Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Donaldson, Arkansas, enrolling 280 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 39.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 280 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 176 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #57.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 8/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 280 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
12.5% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 19.0% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Ouachita School District, also runs Ouachita High School (243 students).
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 Ouachita Elementary School compares
Ouachita 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 | 16.5:1 | ▲ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 39.4% | ▼ 33% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 280 | top 72% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
16.5:1
Leaner classes than 34% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
280
Bigger than 29% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
39.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 33% 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
16.5:1
students per teacher
- 21% above state mean
Top 76% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 24% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
12.5%
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
$10,085
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 280 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.7 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 96.1%
Two or More 2.9%
Hispanic or Latino 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: White at 96.1% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.6/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.6, Ouachita Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Ouachita School District, which includes Ouachita Elementary School.
$10,085
Per student
-18%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-39%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 23.4%
State 57.6%
Federal 19.0%
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 Ouachita Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ouachita High School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Ouachita Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 243
- Students per teacher
- 9.7:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
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 (~280 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Ouachita Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Ouachita Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Ouachita 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 Ouachita Elementary School
How many students attend Ouachita Elementary School?
Ouachita Elementary School has 280 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Donaldson, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Ouachita Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Ouachita Elementary School is 16.5:1, which is 21% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 5% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ouachita Elementary School?
39.4% of students at Ouachita Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ouachita Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Ouachita Elementary School is White at 96.1% of enrollment, in Donaldson, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Ouachita Elementary School?
Ouachita Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (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).
Is Ouachita Elementary School a good school?
Ouachita Elementary School earns 54/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 76% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 Ouachita School District?
Besides Ouachita Elementary School, Ouachita School District also operates Ouachita High School (243 students). See the Ouachita 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.