Enrollment
307
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Fort Smith, AR
Spradling Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Spradling Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 30/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050633000374
👥 S:T ratio 18
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 32
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Spradling Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% of Arkansas schools.
- #16 of 18
- schools in Fort Smith · Resource Index
- 30
- Resource Index · Lower
- 20.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 81.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Spradling Elementary School has class sizes larger than 96% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Spradling Elementary School ranks #16 of 18 schools in Fort Smith, AR.
School address
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050633000374 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
15.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+51% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
81.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+37% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Spradling Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Spradling Elementary School
Spradling Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enrolling 307 students.
Class loads run heavy: 20.5:1 is larger than about 96% of Arkansas schools and 51% above the 13.6:1 state mean, so each teacher carries more students than is typical.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 81.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 307 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index trails 93% of the 1,066 Arkansas schools with a score on record, one of the lower results on this measure.
Among 28 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #21, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by Hispanic or Latino (63%) and White (16%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor availability sits well past the ASCA benchmark, roughly 341 students sharing each counselor, though short of the most stretched campuses.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 55.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.2% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Fort Smith School District also operates Northside High School (2,231 students) and Southside High School (2,053 students) alongside Spradling 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 Spradling Elementary School compares
Spradling 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 | 20.5:1 | ▲ 51% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 81.2% | ▲ 37% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 307 | top 67% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
20.5:1
Leaner classes than 14% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
307
Bigger than 33% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
81.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 37% 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
20.5:1
students per teacher
- 51% above state mean
Top 96% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 4% of state schools
Above 20:1, running heavier than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is comparatively stretched.
Engagement
55.4%
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
$12,206
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
Counselors0.9 FTE
Student-support staffing from the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Discipline context
38
in-school suspensions + 17 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 12.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 17.9 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
Hispanic or Latino 62.5%
White 15.6%
African American 10.1%
Two or More 7.5%
Asian 4.2%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 62.5% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.7/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.7, Spradling Elementary School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Smith School District, which includes Spradling Elementary School.
$12,206
Per student
0%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-26%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 35.4%
State 44.3%
Federal 20.2%
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 Spradling Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Southside High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Ramsey Junior High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| L. a. Chaffin Jr. High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Dora Kimmons Jr. High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Spradling Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,231
- Students per teacher
- 11.2:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,053
- Students per teacher
- 11.1:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
- Enrollment
- 801
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Resource Index
- 34/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Resource Index
- 50/100
- Enrollment
- 753
- Students per teacher
- 13.7:1
- Resource Index
- 38/100
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 (~307 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Spradling Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Spradling Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Fort Smith 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 Spradling Elementary School
How many students attend Spradling Elementary School?
Spradling Elementary School has 307 students enrolled. It is a public school in Fort Smith, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Spradling Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Spradling Elementary School is 20.5:1, which is 51% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Spradling Elementary School?
81.2% of students at Spradling Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Spradling Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Spradling Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 62.5% of enrollment, in Fort Smith, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.7/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Spradling Elementary School?
Spradling Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 30/100 (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 Spradling Elementary School rank among schools in Fort Smith?
By Resource Investment Index, Spradling Elementary School ranks #16 of 18 schools in Fort Smith, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Fort Smith on the city page.
Is Spradling Elementary School a good school?
Spradling Elementary School earns 30/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 96% 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 Fort Smith School District?
Besides Spradling Elementary School, Fort Smith School District also operates Northside High School (2,231 students), Southside High School (2,053 students), and Ramsey Junior High School (801 students). See the Fort Smith 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.