Enrollment
852
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Batesville, AR
Southside Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Southside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 28/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 051254001011
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 30
🎓 Counselors 0
📋 Attendance 57
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Southside Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Arkansas schools.
- #7 of 7
- public schools in Batesville · Resource Index
- 28
- Resource Index · Lower
- 18.9:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 35.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Southside Elementary School has class sizes larger than 90% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary School ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Batesville, AR.
School address
District: Southside School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051254001011 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
45.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-40% 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 large combined-grade school in Batesville, Arkansas, enrolling 852 students.
Class loads run heavy: 18.9:1 is larger than about 90% of Arkansas schools and 39% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.6% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arkansas, bigger than 94% of state schools at 852 students.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 95% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 136 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #125, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (91% of enrollment) (diversity index 16/100).
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 568 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
17.4% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
The surrounding Southside School District spends $9,405 per pupil, 23% below the Arkansas average, a leaner-resourced district than most.
Its district draws 23.4% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Batesville's public schools, it stands alongside Southside Junior High School (427 students): Southside Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs heavier classes (18.9:1 vs 10.9:1).
Southside School District also operates Southside Charter High School (464 students) and Southside Middle School (450 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 | 18.9:1 | ▲ 39% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.6% | ▼ 40% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 852 | top 6% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
18.9:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
852
Bigger than 87% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
18.9:1
students per teacher
- 39% above state mean
Top 90% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
17.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$9,405
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
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 568 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
3
in-school suspensions + 9 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 1.4 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 91.4%
Hispanic or Latino 4.2%
Two or More 2.2%
African American 1.3%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Asian 0.2%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 91.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 16.2/100
Simpson diversity index - at 16.2, Southside Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Southside School District, which includes Southside Elementary School.
$9,405
Per student
-23%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 16.2%
State 60.4%
Federal 23.4%
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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southside Charter High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southside Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southside Junior High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower 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
- 464
- Students per teacher
- 7.3:1
- Resource Index
- 58/100
- Enrollment
- 450
- Students per teacher
- 15.5:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 427
- Students per teacher
- 10.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
Similar other schools in Batesville
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
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 (~852 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Southside Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Southside Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Southside 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 852 students enrolled. It is a public school in Batesville, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Southside Elementary School is 18.9:1, which is 39% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 20% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Southside Elementary School?
35.6% 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 91.4% of enrollment, in Batesville, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Southside Elementary School?
Southside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (lower 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 public schools in Batesville?
By Resource Investment Index, Southside Elementary School ranks #7 of 7 public schools in Batesville, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all public schools in Batesville on the city page.
Is Southside Elementary School a good school?
Southside Elementary School earns 28/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% 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 Southside School District?
Besides Southside Elementary School, Southside School District also operates Southside Charter High School (464 students), Southside Middle School (450 students), and Southside Junior High School (427 students). See the Southside 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.