Enrollment
1,232
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
High school (grades 9-12) · Van Buren, AR
Van Buren High School
Federal NCES profile for Van Buren High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.
2024-25 NCES dataHigh school (grades 9-12)NCES 051341001103
👥 S:T ratio 53
📚 AP courses 85
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 18
📋 Attendance 5
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Van Buren High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also one of the largest schools in Arkansas.
- #4 of 10
- public schools in Van Buren · Resource Index
- 46
- Resource Index · Typical
- 11.7:1
- students per teacher
- 33.2%
- free-lunch eligible
Van Buren High School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Van Buren High School ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Van Buren, AR.
School address
District: Van Buren School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051341001103 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
105.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
11.7:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-14% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
33.2%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-44% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Van Buren High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Van Buren High School
Van Buren High School is a large high school in Van Buren, Arkansas, enrolling 1,232 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 11.7:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 33.2% of students eligible for free meals.
By headcount it is one of the larger campuses in Arkansas, bigger than 97% of state schools at 1,232 students.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 59 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #52, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is led by White (61%) and Hispanic or Latino (25%) (diversity index 56/100).
On the academic-pipeline side it reports 17 Advanced Placement courses.
Counselor access is stretched at roughly 409 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 38.1% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 21.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Van Buren School District also operates Northridge Middle School (713 students) and Butterfield Junior High School (557 students) alongside Van Buren High 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 Van Buren High School compares
Van Buren High 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 | 11.7:1 | ▼ 14% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 33.2% | ▼ 44% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 1,232 | top 3% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
11.7:1
Leaner classes than 78% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
1,232
Bigger than 94% of US schools by enrollment, a large campus nationally.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
33.2%
free-lunch eligible
- 44% 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
11.7:1
students per teacher
- 14% below state mean
Top 32% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 68% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
38.1%
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
$11,226
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
Counselors3.0 FTE
Per 409 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
112
in-school suspensions + 77 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 9.1 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 15.3 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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 60.9%
Hispanic or Latino 24.9%
Two or More 7.1%
Asian 2.8%
African American 2.5%
American Indian / Alaska Native 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.2%
Largest group: White at 60.9% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 56.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 56.0, Van Buren High School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 17
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Van Buren School District, which includes Van Buren High School.
$11,226
Per student
-8%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-32%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 28.9%
State 49.4%
Federal 21.6%
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 Van Buren High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Northridge Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Butterfield Junior High School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Van Buren Freshman Academy | Smaller | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| J. J. Izard Elementary School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| James R. Tate Elem. School | Smaller | Higher economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Van Buren High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 713
- Students per teacher
- 16.6:1
- Resource Index
- 33/100
- Enrollment
- 557
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 40/100
- Enrollment
- 468
- Students per teacher
- 14.2:1
- Resource Index
- 28/100
- Enrollment
- 466
- Students per teacher
- 17.9:1
- Resource Index
- 14/100
- Enrollment
- 459
- Students per teacher
- 19.1:1
- Resource Index
- 25/100
Similar high 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 (~1,232 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~11.7:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Van Buren High School's federal record.
- Compare Van Buren High School against another school. Compare schools
- Van Buren 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 Van Buren High School
How many students attend Van Buren High School?
Van Buren High School has 1,232 students enrolled. It is a high school in Van Buren, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Van Buren High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Van Buren High School is 11.7:1, which is 14% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 25% lower than the national average of 15.7:1. Lower ratios generally mean more individual attention per student.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Van Buren High School?
33.2% of students at Van Buren High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Van Buren High School?
The largest demographic group at Van Buren High School is White at 60.9% of enrollment, in Van Buren, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 56.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Van Buren High School?
Van Buren High School has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 5 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
How does Van Buren High School rank among public schools in Van Buren?
By Resource Investment Index, Van Buren High School ranks #4 of 10 public schools in Van Buren, 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 Van Buren on the city page.
Is Van Buren High School a good school?
Van Buren High School earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. It is also one of the largest schools in Arkansas. 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 Van Buren School District?
Besides Van Buren High School, Van Buren School District also operates Northridge Middle School (713 students), Butterfield Junior High School (557 students), and Van Buren Freshman Academy (468 students). See the Van Buren 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.