Enrollment
648
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Waldron, AR
Waldron Elementary School
Federal NCES profile for Waldron Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 49/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 051368001120
👥 S:T ratio 30
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 35
📋 Attendance 60
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Waldron Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% of Arkansas schools.
- #1 of 3
- public schools in Waldron · Resource Index
- 49
- Resource Index · Higher
- 17.5:1
- large classes for Arkansas
- 57.6%
- free-lunch eligible
Waldron Elementary School has class sizes larger than 83% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Waldron Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Waldron, AR.
School address
District: Waldron School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 051368001120 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
37.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
17.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+29% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
57.6%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-3% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Waldron Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Waldron Elementary School
Waldron Elementary School is a higher-need, mid-sized combined-grade school in Waldron, Arkansas, enrolling 648 students.
Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 17.5:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Its free-meal eligibility rate of 57.6% lands close to the Arkansas typical range, neither a high- nor low-need campus by this measure.
Enrollment of 648 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 163 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks in the upper tier at #35.
Its student body is led by White (78%) and Hispanic or Latino (12%) (diversity index 37/100).
Counselor coverage runs a bit thin, about 324 students per counselor, somewhat past the ASCA-recommended 250:1 benchmark.
16.2% of students were chronically absent in the 2021-22 collection, in line with the post-pandemic national range.
Its district draws 24.8% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
Among Waldron's public schools, it stands alongside Adventure Online Academy (35 students): Waldron Elementary School is larger than that campus by headcount and runs leaner classes (17.5:1 vs 17.5:1).
Waldron School District also operates Waldron Middle School (409 students) and Waldron High School (401 students) alongside Waldron 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 Waldron Elementary School compares
Waldron 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 | 17.5:1 | ▲ 29% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 57.6% | ▼ 3% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 648 | top 16% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
17.5:1
Leaner classes than 27% of US schools, heavier class loads than most.
648
Bigger than 77% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
57.6%
free-lunch eligible
- 3% below the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold; federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
17.5:1
students per teacher
- 29% above state mean
Top 83% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 17% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
16.2%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
In the 15-20% range, nearing the "high" absenteeism threshold.
Funding equity
$11,617
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 324 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
25
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 3.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 3.9 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
White 78.4%
Hispanic or Latino 11.7%
Two or More 4.8%
Asian 2.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 2.3%
African American 0.5%
Largest group: White at 78.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 36.8/100
Simpson diversity index - at 36.8, Waldron Elementary School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Waldron School District, which includes Waldron Elementary School.
$11,617
Per student
-5%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-30%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 18.2%
State 57.0%
Federal 24.8%
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 Waldron Elementary School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Waldron Middle School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Waldron High School | Smaller | Similar economic need | Lower S:T ratio |
| Adventure Online Academy | Smaller | Higher economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Waldron Elementary School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 409
- Students per teacher
- 12.4:1
- Resource Index
- 35/100
- Enrollment
- 401
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 35
- Students per teacher
- 17.5:1
- Resource Index
- 63/100
Similar other schools in Waldron
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 (~648 students)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Waldron Elementary School's federal record.
- Compare Waldron Elementary School against another school. Compare schools
- Waldron 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 Waldron Elementary School
How many students attend Waldron Elementary School?
Waldron Elementary School has 648 students enrolled. It is a public school in Waldron, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Waldron Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Waldron Elementary School is 17.5:1, which is 29% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 11% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Waldron Elementary School?
57.6% of students at Waldron Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Waldron Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Waldron Elementary School is White at 78.4% of enrollment, in Waldron, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Waldron Elementary School?
Waldron Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 49/100 (higher 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 Waldron Elementary School rank among public schools in Waldron?
By Resource Investment Index, Waldron Elementary School ranks #1 of 3 public schools in Waldron, 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 Waldron on the city page.
Is Waldron Elementary School a good school?
Waldron Elementary School earns 49/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 83% 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 Waldron School District?
Besides Waldron Elementary School, Waldron School District also operates Waldron Middle School (409 students), Waldron High School (401 students), and Adventure Online Academy (35 students). See the Waldron 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.