Enrollment
110
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Shirley, AR
Shirley High School
Federal NCES profile for Shirley High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 051242001001
👥 S:T ratio 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 56
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Shirley High School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the smallest schools in Arkansas.
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.9:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 100.0%
- free-lunch eligible
- 110
- students enrolled
Shirley High School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Shirley School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051242001001 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
100.0%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+69% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Shirley High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Shirley High School
Shirley High School is a high-poverty, small combined-grade school in Shirley, Arkansas, enrolling 110 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.9:1, Shirley High School is leaner than roughly 87% of Arkansas schools and 42% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
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 95% of Arkansas schools, with 110 enrolled.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 28 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #19.
Its student body is predominantly White (94% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 12/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 220 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 46.4% 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.
Discipline events run high: 45 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 110 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
Its district, Shirley School District, also runs Shirley Elementary School (169 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 High School compares
Shirley 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 | 7.9:1 | ▼ 42% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 100.0% | ▲ 69% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 110 | top 95% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.9:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
110
Bigger than 11% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
- 42% below state mean
Top 13% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
46.4%
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
37
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 33.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 40.9 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 93.6%
African American 1.8%
Hispanic or Latino 1.8%
Asian 1.8%
Two or More 0.9%
Largest group: White at 93.6% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 12.3/100
Simpson diversity index - at 12.3, Shirley High 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 High 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 High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Shirley Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Shirley High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 169
- Students per teacher
- 11.3:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
Similar other 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 (~110 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Shirley High School's federal record.
- Compare Shirley High 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 High School
How many students attend Shirley High School?
Shirley High School has 110 students enrolled. It is a public school in Shirley, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Shirley High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Shirley High School is 7.9:1, which is 42% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 50% 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 High School?
100.0% of students at Shirley High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Shirley High School?
The largest demographic group at Shirley High School is White at 93.6% of enrollment, in Shirley, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Shirley High School?
Shirley High School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 High School a good school?
Shirley High School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Arkansas schools. It is also one of the smallest 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 Shirley School District?
Besides Shirley High School, Shirley School District also operates Shirley Elementary School (169 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.