Enrollment
293
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 051173000892
Poyen Elementary School — Poyen, AR
Federal NCES profile for Poyen Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 54/100.
👥 Class size 49
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 57
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: Poyen 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)
21.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
41.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Poyen Elementary School 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
Poyen Elementary School reports 293 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 21.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 12.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 6% 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 19% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 41.0% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 31% below the Arkansas average and 21% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 293 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 17.1% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Poyen School District spends $16,584 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 12.6% from local sources (property taxes), 74.8% from the state, and 12.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-), 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 Poyen Elementary School 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 | 12.8:1 | ▼ 6% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 41.0% | ▼ 31% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 293 | top 31% | — | — |
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
41.0%
free-lunch eligible
— 31% 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 38% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 62% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
17.1%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$16,584
per pupil, district-wide
— above 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 293 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
7
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 2.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 293 Top 31% in Arkansas — larger than 69% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 21.0
Students per teacher 12.8:1 -6% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 41.0% -31% vs state
NCES ID 051173000892
Student demographics
White 94.2%
Hispanic or Latino 4.1%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 94.2% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 293:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 17.1%
In-school suspensions 7
Out-of-school suspensions 2
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Poyen School District, which includes Poyen Elementary School.
$16,584
Per student
+16%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-15%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 12.6%
State 74.8%
Federal 12.6%
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
- 264
- Students per teacher
- 6.5:1
Similar other schools in Poyen
1 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 Poyen Elementary School
How many students attend Poyen Elementary School?
Poyen Elementary School has 293 students enrolled. It is a other school in POYEN, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Poyen Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Poyen Elementary School is 12.8:1, which is 6% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 19% 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 Poyen Elementary School?
41.0% of students at Poyen Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Poyen Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Poyen Elementary School is White at 94.2%. The school serves a diverse student body in POYEN, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Poyen Elementary School?
Poyen Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 54/100 (C-) 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.