Enrollment
244
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Middle school (grades 6-8) · Fouke, AR
Paulette Smith Middle School
Federal NCES profile for Paulette Smith Middle School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 53/100.
2024-25 NCES dataMiddle school (grades 6-8)NCES 050636000299
👥 S:T ratio 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 76
📋 Attendance 16
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Paulette Smith Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- #2 of 3
- public schools in Fouke · Resource Index
- 53
- Resource Index · Higher
- 12.8:1
- students per teacher
- 44.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Paulette Smith Middle School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Paulette Smith Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Fouke, AR.
School address
District: Fouke School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050636000299 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
44.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-25% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Paulette Smith Middle School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Paulette Smith Middle School
Paulette Smith Middle School is a mid-sized middle school in Fouke, Arkansas, enrolling 244 students.
At 12.8:1, 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 below the state's typical profile, with 44.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 244 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 156 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #65.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 122 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 33.6% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 19.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 77 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 244 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Fouke School District also operates Fouke Elementary School (514 students) and Fouke High School (349 students) alongside Paulette Smith Middle 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 Paulette Smith Middle School compares
Paulette Smith Middle 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 44.2% | ▼ 25% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 244 | top 78% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.8:1
Leaner classes than 68% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
244
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
44.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 25% 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
12.8:1
students per teacher
- 6% below state mean
Top 41% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 59% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
33.6%
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
$10,453
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 122 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
52
in-school suspensions + 25 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 21.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 31.6 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 93.9%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.0%
Two or More 2.0%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
African American 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
Largest group: White at 93.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 11.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 11.7, Paulette Smith Middle School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fouke School District, which includes Paulette Smith Middle School.
$10,453
Per student
-15%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-37%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 29.3%
State 51.2%
Federal 19.5%
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 Paulette Smith Middle School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fouke Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Fouke High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Paulette Smith Middle School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 514
- Students per teacher
- 16.1:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 349
- Students per teacher
- 6.2:1
- Resource Index
- 56/100
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 (~244 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Paulette Smith Middle School's federal record.
- Compare Paulette Smith Middle School against another school. Compare schools
- Fouke 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 Paulette Smith Middle School
How many students attend Paulette Smith Middle School?
Paulette Smith Middle School has 244 students enrolled. It is a middle school in Fouke, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Paulette Smith Middle School?
The student-teacher ratio at Paulette Smith Middle School is 12.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 18% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Paulette Smith Middle School?
44.2% of students at Paulette Smith Middle School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Paulette Smith Middle School?
The largest demographic group at Paulette Smith Middle School is White at 93.9% of enrollment, in Fouke, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Paulette Smith Middle School?
Paulette Smith Middle School has a Resource Investment Index of 53/100 (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).
How does Paulette Smith Middle School rank among public schools in Fouke?
By Resource Investment Index, Paulette Smith Middle School ranks #2 of 3 public schools in Fouke, 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 Fouke on the city page.
Is Paulette Smith Middle School a good school?
Paulette Smith Middle School earns 53/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Fouke School District?
Besides Paulette Smith Middle School, Fouke School District also operates Fouke Elementary School (514 students) and Fouke High School (349 students). See the Fouke 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.