Enrollment
512
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Middle school (grades 6-8) NCES 050001700395
Paragould Junior High — Paragould, AR
Federal NCES profile for Paragould Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 29/100.
👥 Class size 46
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Paragould School District · Arkansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
13.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paragould Junior High compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Paragould Junior High reports 512 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 36.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 13.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 1% below the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling more teacher attention per pupil than the state benchmark. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 16% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 100.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 69% above the Arkansas average and 93% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 512 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 53.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Paragould School District spends $11,481 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.3% from local sources (property taxes), 51.6% from the state, and 21.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Paragould Junior High compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arkansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 13.4:1 | ▼ 1% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 70% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
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
13.4:1
students per teacher
— 1% below state mean
Top 43% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 57% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
53.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$11,481
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 512 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
162
in-school suspensions + 114 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 31.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 53.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 512 Top 70% in Arkansas — larger than 30% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 36.0
Students per teacher 13.4:1 -1% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% +69% vs state
NCES ID 050001700395
Student demographics
White 72.7%
African American 8.4%
Hispanic or Latino 7.2%
Two or More 5.9%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 5.5%
Asian 0.4%
Largest group: White at 72.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 512:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 53.5%
In-school suspensions 162
Out-of-school suspensions 114
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paragould School District, which includes Paragould Junior High.
$11,481
Per student
-20%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.3%
State 51.6%
Federal 21.1%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 10.6:1
- Enrollment
- 602
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 17.7:1
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 19.2:1
- Enrollment
- 233
- Students per teacher
- 15:1
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Paragould Junior High
How many students attend Paragould Junior High?
Paragould Junior High has 512 students enrolled. It is a middle school in PARAGOULD, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paragould Junior High?
The student-teacher ratio at Paragould Junior High is 13.4:1, which is 1% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 16% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paragould Junior High?
100.0% of students at Paragould Junior High are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paragould Junior High?
The largest demographic group at Paragould Junior High is White at 72.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in PARAGOULD, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paragould Junior High?
Paragould Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 29/100 (F) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.