Enrollment
264
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Fort Smith, AR
Trusty Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Trusty Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 34/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050633000377
👥 S:T ratio 24
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 41
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Trusty Elementary School earns 34/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 90% of Arkansas schools.
- #21 of 28
- public schools in Fort Smith · Resource Index
- 34
- Resource Index · Typical
- 18.9:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 82.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Trusty Elementary School has class sizes larger than 90% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Trusty Elementary School ranks #21 of 28 public schools in Fort Smith, AR.
School address
District: Fort Smith School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050633000377 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
14.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+39% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
82.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+39% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Trusty Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Trusty Elementary School
Trusty Elementary School is a high-poverty, mid-sized elementary school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, enrolling 264 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 above the state's typical profile, with 82.2% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 264 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 26 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #21, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 293 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 49.2% 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 Trusty 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 Trusty Elementary School compares
Trusty 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 | 82.2% | ▲ 39% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 264 | top 75% | - | - |
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.
264
Bigger than 27% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
82.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 39% 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
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
49.2%
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
$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
27
in-school suspensions + 8 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 10.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 13.3 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.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Fort Smith School District, which includes Trusty 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 Trusty 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 Trusty 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 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 (~264 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~18.9:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Trusty Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Trusty 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 Trusty Elementary School
How many students attend Trusty Elementary School?
Trusty Elementary School has 264 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Fort Smith, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Trusty Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Trusty 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 Trusty Elementary School?
82.2% of students at Trusty Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Trusty Elementary School?
Trusty Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 34/100 (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 Trusty Elementary School rank among public schools in Fort Smith?
By Resource Investment Index, Trusty Elementary School ranks #21 of 28 public 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 public schools in Fort Smith on the city page.
Is Trusty Elementary School a good school?
Trusty Elementary School earns 34/100 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 Fort Smith School District?
Besides Trusty 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.