Elementary school (grades K-5) · Little Rock, AR

Parkway Elementary School

Federal NCES profile for Parkway Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 43/100.

2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050369001661
0/100100/10043/100
👥 S:T ratio
31
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
72
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Parkway Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Arkansas schools. It is also more racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.

#12 of 28
elementary schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
43
Resource Index · Typical
17.2:1
large classes for Arkansas
45.0%
free-lunch eligible

Parkway Elementary School has class sizes larger than 81% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Parkway Elementary School ranks #12 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR.

Enrollment

568

Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

33.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

17.2:1

vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg

+26% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

45.0%

vs 59.2% Arkansas avg

-24% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Parkway Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians

Larger classes than state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Parkway Elementary School

Parkway Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 568 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.2:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 45.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 568 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.

Against 278 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #135.

Its student body is led by White (42%) and Hispanic or Latino (39%), more mixed than most schools in the state (diversity index 65/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 568 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

11.3% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.

The surrounding Bryant School District spends $9,843 per pupil, 20% below the Arkansas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.

Its district draws 15.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Bryant School District also operates Bryant High School (2,369 students) and Bryant Junior High School (1,545 students) alongside Parkway 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 Parkway Elementary School compares

Parkway 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 17.2:1 ▲ 26% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 45.0% ▼ 24% 59.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 568 top 23% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

17.2:1
Leaner classes than 29% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
568
Bigger than 70% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
45.0%
free-lunch eligible - 24% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.2:1
students per teacher - 26% above state mean
Top 81% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 19% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
11.3%
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
$9,843
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 568 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
11
in-school suspensions + 1 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 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 41.9%
Hispanic or Latino 39.4%
African American 12.5%
Two or More 5.1%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%

Largest group: White at 41.9% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 65.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 65.1, Parkway 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 Bryant School District, which includes Parkway Elementary School.

$9,843
Per student
-20%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-41%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.7%
State 49.1%
Federal 15.2%

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 Parkway Elementary School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Bryant High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bryant Junior High School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bryant Elementary School Larger Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bryant Middle School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Bethel Middle School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Parkway Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Bryant School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Parkway Elementary School's federal record.

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 Parkway Elementary School

How many students attend Parkway Elementary School?

Parkway Elementary School has 568 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Little Rock, AR.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Parkway Elementary School?

The student-teacher ratio at Parkway Elementary School is 17.2:1, which is 26% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 10% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Parkway Elementary School?

45.0% of students at Parkway Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Parkway Elementary School?

The largest demographic group at Parkway Elementary School is White at 41.9% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 65.1/100.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Parkway Elementary School?

Parkway Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 43/100 (typical 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 Parkway Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Little Rock?

By Resource Investment Index, Parkway Elementary School ranks #12 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Little Rock on the city page.

Is Parkway Elementary School a good school?

Parkway Elementary School earns 43/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 81% of Arkansas schools. It is also more 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 Bryant School District?

Besides Parkway Elementary School, Bryant School District also operates Bryant High School (2,369 students), Bryant Junior High School (1,545 students), and Bryant Elementary School (785 students). See the Bryant School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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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.