Enrollment
1,220
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Searcy, AR
Searcy High School
Federal NCES profile for Searcy High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 48/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 051221000985
👥 S:T ratio 57
📚 AP courses 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 39
📋 Attendance 42
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Searcy High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Arkansas.
- #3 of 8
- public schools in Searcy · Resource Index
- 48
- Resource Index · Typical
- 10.7:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 29.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Searcy High School has class sizes smaller than 74% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Searcy High School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Searcy, AR.
School address
District: Searcy School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051221000985 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
114.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
10.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-21% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
29.8%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Searcy High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Searcy High School
Searcy High School is a large high school in Searcy, Arkansas, enrolling 1,220 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 10.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 29.8% free-meal eligibility runs 50% below the Arkansas average.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arkansas, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,220 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 60 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #11.
Its student body is led by White (69%) and African American (11%) (diversity index 49/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 6 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 305 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 23.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.9% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 3 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Searcy School District also operates Southwest Middle School (913 students) and Ahlf Junior High School (576 students) alongside Searcy High 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 Searcy High School compares
Searcy High 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 | 10.7:1 | ▼ 21% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 29.8% | ▼ 50% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,220 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
10.7:1
Leaner classes than 85% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,220
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
29.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 50% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Below the 40% Title I threshold, among the lower-need profiles in the state; federal aid targets individual qualifying students rather than schoolwide programs.
Staffing depth
10.7:1
students per teacher
- 21% below state mean
Top 26% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 74% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
23.3%
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
$10,738
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
Counselors4.0 FTE
Per 305 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
115
in-school suspensions + 94 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 3 expulsions.
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 69.2%
African American 10.7%
Hispanic or Latino 10.7%
Two or More 8.2%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 69.2% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 49.1/100
Simpson diversity index - at 49.1, Searcy High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Searcy School District, which includes Searcy High School.
$10,738
Per student
-12%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-35%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 42.4%
State 35.7%
Federal 21.9%
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 Searcy High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Ahlf Junior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Mcrae Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Sidney Deener Elem. School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Westside Elementary School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Searcy High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 913
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 576
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 445
- Students per teacher
- 17.8:1
- Resource Index
- 48/100
- Enrollment
- 421
- Students per teacher
- 20:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 398
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
Similar high 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 (~1,220 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~10.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Searcy High School's federal record.
- Compare Searcy High School against another school. Compare schools
- Searcy 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 Searcy High School
How many students attend Searcy High School?
Searcy High School has 1,220 students enrolled. It is a high school in Searcy, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Searcy High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Searcy High School is 10.7:1, which is 21% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 32% 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 Searcy High School?
29.8% of students at Searcy High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Searcy High School?
The largest demographic group at Searcy High School is White at 69.2% of enrollment, in Searcy, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Searcy High School?
Searcy High School has a Resource Investment Index of 48/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Searcy High School rank among public schools in Searcy?
By Resource Investment Index, Searcy High School ranks #3 of 8 public schools in Searcy, 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 Searcy on the city page.
Is Searcy High School a good school?
Searcy High School earns 48/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 74% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the largest schools in Arkansas. 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 Searcy School District?
Besides Searcy High School, Searcy School District also operates Southwest Middle School (913 students), Ahlf Junior High School (576 students), and Mcrae Elementary School (445 students). See the Searcy 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.