Enrollment
512
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Paragould, AR
Paragould Junior High
Federal NCES profile for Paragould Junior High, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 050001700395
👥 S:T ratio 43
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paragould Junior High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #12 of 13
- public schools in Paragould · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 14.2:1
- students per teacher
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
Paragould Junior High has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paragould Junior High ranks #12 of 13 public schools in Paragould, AR.
School address
District: Paragould School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050001700395 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
36.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+4% 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
What stands out at Paragould Junior High
Paragould Junior High is a high-poverty, mid-sized middle school in Paragould, Arkansas, enrolling 512 students.
At 14.2:1, its student-teacher ratio sits close to the Arkansas median, within a few percentage points of the 13.6:1 state norm, neither notably crowded nor notably small.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 512 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 134 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #119, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (73%) and African American (8%) (diversity index 45/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 512 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.5% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 276 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 512 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Paragould School District also operates Paragould High School (881 students) and Paragould Primary School (602 students) alongside Paragould Junior High.
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 Paragould Junior High compares
Paragould Junior High on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.2:1 | ▲ 4% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 512 | top 30% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
14.2:1
Leaner classes than 55% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
512
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
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
14.2:1
students per teacher
- 4% above state mean
Top 54% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 46% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
53.5%
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
$10,878
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 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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 45.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 45.3, Paragould Junior High is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Paragould School District, which includes Paragould Junior High.
$10,878
Per student
-11%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-34%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Paragould Junior High Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paragould High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Paragould Primary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Middle School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Oak Grove Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Woodrow Wilson Elem. School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paragould Junior High's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 881
- Students per teacher
- 10.7:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 602
- Students per teacher
- 14:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 447
- Students per teacher
- 15.4:1
- Resource Index
- 30/100
- Enrollment
- 270
- Students per teacher
- 20.8:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 233
- Students per teacher
- 14.6:1
- Resource Index
- 41/100
Similar middle 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 (~512 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~14.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paragould Junior High's federal record.
- Compare Paragould Junior High against another school. Compare schools
- Paragould 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 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 14.2:1, which is 4% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 10% lower than the national average of 15.7:1.
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% of enrollment, in Paragould, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paragould Junior High?
Paragould Junior High has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (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).
How does Paragould Junior High rank among public schools in Paragould?
By Resource Investment Index, Paragould Junior High ranks #12 of 13 public schools in Paragould, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Paragould on the city page.
Is Paragould Junior High a good school?
Paragould Junior High earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Paragould School District?
Besides Paragould Junior High, Paragould School District also operates Paragould High School (881 students), Paragould Primary School (602 students), and Oak Grove Middle School (447 students). See the Paragould 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.