Enrollment
474
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Little Rock, AR
Stephens Elementary
Federal NCES profile for Stephens Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 37/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050900000876
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 53
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Stephens Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% of Arkansas schools.
- #16 of 24
- schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 37
- Resource Index · Typical
- 19:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 84.1%
- free-lunch eligible
Stephens Elementary has class sizes larger than 91% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Stephens Elementary ranks #16 of 24 schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Little Rock School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050900000876 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
25.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
19:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
84.1%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+42% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Stephens Elementary compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Stephens Elementary
Stephens Elementary is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 474 students.
Class loads run heavy: 19:1 is larger than about 91% of Arkansas schools and 40% 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 84.1% of students eligible for free meals.
With 474 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 46 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #25.
Its student body is predominantly African American (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 237 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 54.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Little Rock's public schools, it stands alongside Rockefeller Early Childhood Center (317 students): Stephens Elementary is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (19:1 vs 22.6:1).
Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students) and Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students) alongside Stephens Elementary.
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 Stephens Elementary compares
Stephens Elementary on the metrics families compare, against Arkansas and U.S. means.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 19:1 | ▲ 40% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 84.1% | ▲ 42% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 474 | top 36% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
19:1
Leaner classes than 20% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
474
Bigger than 58% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
84.1%
free-lunch eligible
- 42% 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
19:1
students per teacher
- 40% above state mean
Top 91% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 9% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
54.2%
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
$14,597
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 237 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
2
in-school suspensions + 11 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.4 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.7 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
African American 83.8%
Hispanic or Latino 5.7%
White 4.9%
Two or More 4.2%
Asian 1.1%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.4%
Largest group: African American at 83.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 29.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 29.0, Stephens Elementary is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Stephens Elementary.
$14,597
Per student
+19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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 Stephens Elementary Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Little Rock Southwest High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Parkview Magnet High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Don Roberts Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Chicot Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Stephens Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar other schools in Little Rock
2 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 (~474 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Stephens Elementary's federal record.
- Compare Stephens Elementary against another school. Compare schools
- Little Rock 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 Stephens Elementary
How many students attend Stephens Elementary?
Stephens Elementary has 474 students enrolled. It is a public school in Little Rock, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Stephens Elementary?
The student-teacher ratio at Stephens Elementary is 19:1, which is 40% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 21% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Stephens Elementary?
84.1% of students at Stephens Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Stephens Elementary?
The largest demographic group at Stephens Elementary is African American at 83.8% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Stephens Elementary?
Stephens Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 37/100 (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 Stephens Elementary rank among schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Stephens Elementary ranks #16 of 24 schools in Little Rock, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Stephens Elementary a good school?
Stephens Elementary earns 37/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 91% 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 Little Rock School District?
Besides Stephens Elementary, Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students), Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students), and Parkview Magnet High School (1,072 students). See the Little Rock 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.