Enrollment
300
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050001201287
Riverside West Elem. School — Lake City, AR
Federal NCES profile for Riverside West Elem. School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 41/100.
👥 Class size 41
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 53
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: Riverside 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
37.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Riverside West Elem. 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
Riverside West Elem. School reports 300 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 9% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 7% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 37.5% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 37% below the Arkansas average and 28% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 600 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 18.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Riverside School District spends $12,055 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 27.9% from local sources (property taxes), 52.4% from the state, and 19.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D), 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 Riverside West Elem. 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 | 14.8:1 | ▲ 9% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 37.5% | ▼ 37% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 300 | top 32% | — | — |
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
37.5%
free-lunch eligible
— 37% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold — federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
14.8:1
students per teacher
— 9% above state mean
Top 56% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 44% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
18.7%
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
$12,055
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
Counselors0.5 FTE
Per 600 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 300 Top 32% in Arkansas — larger than 68% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 14.8:1 +9% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 37.5% -37% vs state
NCES ID 050001201287
Student demographics
White 90.3%
Hispanic or Latino 6.0%
Two or More 3.0%
African American 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 90.3% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.5
Students per counselor 600:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 18.7%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Riverside School District, which includes Riverside West Elem. School.
$12,055
Per student
-16%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-38%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 27.9%
State 52.4%
Federal 19.7%
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
- 342
- Students per teacher
- 9.5:1
- Enrollment
- 147
- Students per teacher
- 12.3:1
Similar other schools in Lake City
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 Riverside West Elem. School
How many students attend Riverside West Elem. School?
Riverside West Elem. School has 300 students enrolled. It is a other school in LAKE CITY, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Riverside West Elem. School?
The student-teacher ratio at Riverside West Elem. School is 14.8:1, which is 9% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 7% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Riverside West Elem. School?
37.5% of students at Riverside West Elem. School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Riverside West Elem. School?
The largest demographic group at Riverside West Elem. School is White at 90.3%. The school serves a diverse student body in LAKE CITY, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Riverside West Elem. School?
Riverside West Elem. School has a Resource Investment Index of 41/100 (D) 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.