Enrollment
551
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Cabot, AR
Southside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Southside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 36/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050375001351
👥 S:T ratio 29
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 44
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% of Arkansas schools.
- #5 of 5
- elementary schools in Cabot · Resource Index
- 36
- Resource Index · Typical
- 17.8:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 22.8%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside Elementary School has class sizes larger than 85% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary School ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Cabot, AR.
School address
District: Cabot School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050375001351 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
31.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+31% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
22.8%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-61% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Southside Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Southside Elementary School
Southside Elementary School is a mid-sized elementary school in Cabot, Arkansas, enrolling 551 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.8:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Comparatively few students face economic hardship here, 22.8% free-meal eligibility runs 61% below the Arkansas average.
Enrollment of 551 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 167 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #133, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (79%) and Hispanic or Latino (11%) (diversity index 36/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 551 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Attendance runs somewhat below the norm, with 22.3% of students chronically absent per the 2021-22 civil-rights collection.
Its district draws 15.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Cabot School District also operates Cabot High School (2,170 students) and Cabot Junior High North (920 students) alongside Southside Elementary 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 Southside Elementary School compares
Southside 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 | 17.8:1 | ▲ 31% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 22.8% | ▼ 61% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 551 | top 26% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.8:1
Leaner classes than 26% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
551
Bigger than 68% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
22.8%
free-lunch eligible
- 61% 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
17.8:1
students per teacher
- 31% above state mean
Top 85% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 15% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
22.3%
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
$9,980
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 551 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
6
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 4.2 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 78.8%
Hispanic or Latino 10.5%
Two or More 7.8%
African American 2.0%
Asian 0.4%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.2%
Largest group: White at 78.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.2, Southside 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 Cabot School District, which includes Southside Elementary School.
$9,980
Per student
-19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 27.8%
State 56.5%
Federal 15.7%
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 Southside Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cabot High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cabot Junior High North | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Cabot Middle School North | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cabot Freshman Academy | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Cabot Middle School South | Larger | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Southside Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,170
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 39/100
- Enrollment
- 920
- Students per teacher
- 16.7:1
- Resource Index
- 42/100
- Enrollment
- 828
- Students per teacher
- 15.6:1
- Resource Index
- 47/100
- Enrollment
- 827
- Students per teacher
- 15.9:1
- Resource Index
- 32/100
- Enrollment
- 747
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 46/100
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 (~551 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Southside Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Cabot 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 Southside Elementary School
How many students attend Southside Elementary School?
Southside Elementary School has 551 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Cabot, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School is 17.8:1, which is 31% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 13% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southside Elementary School?
22.8% of students at Southside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Southside Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Southside Elementary School is White at 78.8% of enrollment, in Cabot, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside Elementary School?
Southside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 36/100 (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).
How does Southside Elementary School rank among elementary schools in Cabot?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary School ranks #5 of 5 elementary schools in Cabot, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Cabot on the city page.
Is Southside Elementary School a good school?
Southside Elementary School earns 36/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 85% 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 Cabot School District?
Besides Southside Elementary School, Cabot School District also operates Cabot High School (2,170 students), Cabot Junior High North (920 students), and Cabot Middle School North (828 students). See the Cabot 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.