Enrollment
249
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 051257001014
South Side High School — Bee Branch, AR
Federal NCES profile for South Side High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 56/100.
👥 Class size 68
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 51
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: South Side 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)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
15.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-74% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How South Side High 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
South Side High School reports 249 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 32.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 7.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 42% 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 50% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 15.1% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 74% below the Arkansas average and 71% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 332 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.7% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding South Side School District spends $15,730 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 51.3% from local sources (property taxes), 27.2% from the state, and 21.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (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 South Side High 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 | 7.9:1 | ▼ 42% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.1% | ▼ 74% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 23% | — | — |
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
15.1%
free-lunch eligible
— 74% 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
7.9:1
students per teacher
— 42% below state mean
Top 13% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 87% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.7%
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
$15,730
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Per 332 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
89
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 35.7 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 39.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
Overview
Enrollment 249 Top 23% in Arkansas — larger than 77% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 32.0
Students per teacher 7.9:1 -42% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 15.1% -74% vs state
NCES ID 051257001014
Student demographics
White 90.4%
Two or More 4.8%
Hispanic or Latino 3.6%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.8%
African American 0.4%
Largest group: White at 90.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
AP courses offered 6
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 0.8
Students per counselor 332:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.7%
In-school suspensions 89
Out-of-school suspensions 8
Expulsions 1
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for South Side School District, which includes South Side High School.
$15,730
Per student
+10%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-19%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 51.3%
State 27.2%
Federal 21.5%
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
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
Similar other schools in Bee Branch
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 South Side High School
How many students attend South Side High School?
South Side High School has 249 students enrolled. It is a other school in BEE BRANCH, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at South Side High School?
The student-teacher ratio at South Side 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 15.9:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at South Side High School?
15.1% of students at South Side High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of South Side High School?
The largest demographic group at South Side High School is White at 90.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in BEE BRANCH, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for South Side High School?
South Side High School has a Resource Investment Index of 56/100 (C) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.