Enrollment
169
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Shirley, AR
Shirley Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Shirley Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 39/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 051242001000
👥 S:T ratio 55
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shirley Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.
- 39
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.3:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 169
- students enrolled
Shirley Elementary School has class sizes smaller than 71% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Shirley School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051242001000 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.3:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-17% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shirley Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shirley Elementary School
Shirley Elementary School is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Shirley, Arkansas, enrolling 169 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.3:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.
This is a small campus: fewer students than 91% of Arkansas schools, with 169 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 80 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #72, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (96% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 338 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 53.3% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 25.1% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Its district, Shirley School District, also runs Shirley High School (110 students).
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 Shirley Elementary School compares
Shirley Elementary 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 | 11.3:1 | ▼ 17% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 169 | top 91% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.3:1
Leaner classes than 81% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
169
Bigger than 16% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible
- 69% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
11.3:1
students per teacher
- 17% below state mean
Top 29% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 71% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
53.3%
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
$14,610
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors0.5 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
29
in-school suspensions + 2 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 17.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 18.3 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 96.4%
African American 1.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.2%
Hispanic or Latino 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.6%
Largest group: White at 96.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 7.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 7.0, Shirley Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Shirley School District, which includes Shirley Elementary School.
$14,610
Per student
+19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 50.3%
State 24.6%
Federal 25.1%
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.
How Shirley Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shirley Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 110
- Students per teacher
- 7.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar elementary 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 (~169 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shirley Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Shirley Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Shirley 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 Shirley Elementary School
How many students attend Shirley Elementary School?
Shirley Elementary School has 169 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Shirley, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shirley Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shirley Elementary School is 11.3:1, which is 17% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 28% 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 Shirley Elementary School?
100.0% of students at Shirley Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shirley Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Shirley Elementary School is White at 96.4% of enrollment, in Shirley, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shirley Elementary School?
Shirley Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 39/100 (typical 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).
Is Shirley Elementary School a good school?
Shirley Elementary School earns 39/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 71% of Arkansas schools. 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 Shirley School District?
Besides Shirley Elementary School, Shirley School District also operates Shirley High School (110 students). See the Shirley 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.