Enrollment
12
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050975001665 Charter school
Polk County Virtual Academy — Mena, AR
Federal NCES profile for Polk County Virtual Academy, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 92/100.
👥 Class size 98
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 98
📋 Attendance 100
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: Mena 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)
19.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
0.4:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-97% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Polk County Virtual Academy 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
Polk County Virtual Academy reports 12 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 19.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 0.4:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 97% 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 97% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Counselor coverage works out to roughly 12 students per counselor, meeting the American School Counselor Association recommendation of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 0.0% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Mena School District spends $13,150 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 28.4% from local sources (property taxes), 43.5% from the state, and 28.1% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 92/100 (A+), 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 Polk County Virtual Academy 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 | 0.4:1 | ▼ 97% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Enrollment | 12 | top 0% | — | — |
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.
Staffing depth
0.4:1
students per teacher
— 97% below state mean
Top 0% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 100% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
0.0%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Below 10% — strong attendance relative to the post-pandemic national landscape.
Funding equity
$13,150
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 12 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 12 Top 0% in Arkansas — larger than 100% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 19.0
Students per teacher 0.4:1 -97% vs state
Free-lunch eligible —
NCES ID 050975001665
Student demographics
White 91.7%
Hispanic or Latino 8.3%
Largest group: White at 91.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 12:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 0.0%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Mena School District, which includes Polk County Virtual Academy.
$13,150
Per student
-8%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-33%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 28.4%
State 43.5%
Federal 28.1%
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
- 503
- Students per teacher
- 8.2:1
- Enrollment
- 438
- Students per teacher
- 18.9:1
- Enrollment
- 393
- Students per teacher
- 12.5:1
- Enrollment
- 357
- Students per teacher
- 16.5:1
Similar other schools in Mena
3 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 Polk County Virtual Academy
How many students attend Polk County Virtual Academy?
Polk County Virtual Academy has 12 students enrolled. It is a other school in MENA, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Polk County Virtual Academy?
The student-teacher ratio at Polk County Virtual Academy is 0.4:1, which is 97% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 97% lower than the national average of 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Polk County Virtual Academy?
The largest demographic group at Polk County Virtual Academy is White at 91.7%. The school serves a student body in MENA, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Polk County Virtual Academy?
Polk County Virtual Academy has a Resource Investment Index of 92/100 (A+) 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.