Enrollment
249
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Bee Branch, AR
South Side High School
Federal NCES profile for South Side High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 56/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 051257001014
👥 S:T ratio 69
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 34
📋 Attendance 51
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
South Side High School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of Arkansas schools.
- 56
- Resource Index · Higher
- 7.8:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 15.1%
- free-lunch eligible
- 249
- students enrolled
South Side High School has class sizes smaller than 87% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: South Side School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051257001014 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
32.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
7.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-43% 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
What stands out at South Side High School
South Side High School is a lower-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Bee Branch, Arkansas, enrolling 249 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 7.8:1, South Side High School is leaner than roughly 87% of Arkansas schools and 43% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 15.1% free-meal eligibility runs 74% below the Arkansas average.
Enrollment of 249 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 24 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #9.
Its student body is predominantly White (90% of enrollment) (diversity index 18/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 332 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 19.7% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 21.5% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Discipline events run high: 97 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 249 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, South Side School District, also runs South Side Elementary School (269 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 South Side High School compares
South Side 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 | 7.8:1 | ▼ 43% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 15.1% | ▼ 74% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 249 | top 77% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
7.8:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
249
Bigger than 25% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
15.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 74% 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
7.8:1
students per teacher
- 43% 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
19.7%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$14,592
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
Counselors0.8 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
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
- 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 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.
Student-body diversity index 17.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 17.9, South Side High School is less 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 South Side School District, which includes South Side High School.
$14,592
Per student
+19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How South Side High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| South Side Elementary School | Similar size | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to South Side High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 269
- Students per teacher
- 13.4:1
- Resource Index
- 52/100
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 (~249 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~7.8:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on South Side High School's federal record.
- Compare South Side High School against another school. Compare schools
- South Side 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 South Side High School
How many students attend South Side High School?
South Side High School has 249 students enrolled. It is a public 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 7.8:1, which is 43% 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 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% of enrollment, 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 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is South Side High School a good school?
South Side High School earns 56/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 87% of 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 South Side School District?
Besides South Side High School, South Side School District also operates South Side Elementary School (269 students). See the South Side 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.