Enrollment
630
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050008201186
Walnut Ridge Elementary School — Walnut Ridge, AR
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Ridge Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 44/100.
👥 Class size 40
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 16
📋 Attendance 52
How this works: Each indicator above is scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC data, then averaged into the Resource Investment Index. This measures resource allocation — staffing, programs, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes. Full methodology →
School address
District: Lawrence County School District · Arkansas
Public location data per NCES (National Center for Education Statistics) Common Core of Data. Verify the school's current address on the NCES CCD record.
Teachers (FTE)
39.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
14.9:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
43.3%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-27% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Ridge Elementary School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
The federal record — no proprietary index, no editorial formula.
PlainSchools publishes the actual federal measurements — enrollment, staffing, demographics, discipline, and finance — straight from the NCES Common Core of Data, CRDC, and F-33 surveys. No composite rating, no opinion-based score on top. You get the same raw numbers researchers and policymakers use, with benchmarks, spending context, and equity indicators computed from the same federal datasets. Full methodology linked below.
What this school's NCES data tells you
Walnut Ridge Elementary School reports 630 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 39.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 14.9:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 10% above the Arkansas state mean of 13.6:1, signalling larger average class loads than peers in the same state. Against the national 2024-25 average of 15.9:1, it is 6% lower, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 43.3% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 27% below the Arkansas average and 16% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 420 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 19.4% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Lawrence County School District spends $11,605 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 34.5% from local sources (property taxes), 43.9% from the state, and 21.6% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D), calculated from 4 distinct NCES and CRDC indicators measuring resource allocation rather than academic outcomes.
Source: National Center for Education Statistics Common Core of Data + CRDC + F-33 · 2024-25
How Walnut Ridge Elementary School compares
Cross-validating school-level NCES values against Arkansas state and U.S. national means lets readers see whether this school is an outlier or in line with peers.
| Metric | This school | vs Arkansas | Arkansas avg | U.S. avg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Students per teacher | 14.9:1 | ▲ 10% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 43.3% | ▼ 27% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 630 | top 83% | — | — |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
What the federal data reveals about equity at this school
Federal measurements — not ratings — surface the resource and opportunity picture. Below are the indicators that researchers, civil-rights monitors, and funding formulas use to assess equity.
Economic need
43.3%
free-lunch eligible
— 27% 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
14.9:1
students per teacher
— 10% above state mean
Top 58% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 42% of state schools
Below the 15:1 benchmark — typical of schools with smaller class sizes and more individualized attention.
Engagement
19.4%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Between 10–20% — above the pre-pandemic baseline of ~15% nationally but within the current U.S. range.
Funding equity
$11,605
per pupil, district-wide
— below Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.5 FTE
Per 420 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
35
in-school suspensions + 3 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 5.6 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 6.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 630 Top 83% in Arkansas — larger than 17% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 39.0
Students per teacher 14.9:1 +10% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 43.3% -27% vs state
NCES ID 050008201186
Student demographics
White 89.7%
Hispanic or Latino 5.2%
Two or More 3.3%
African American 0.6%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Asian 0.3%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.3%
Largest group: White at 89.7% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.5
Students per counselor 420:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 19.4%
In-school suspensions 35
Out-of-school suspensions 3
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lawrence County School District, which includes Walnut Ridge Elementary School.
$11,605
Per student
-19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 34.5%
State 43.9%
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.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 437
- Students per teacher
- 8.7:1
Similar other schools in Walnut Ridge
1 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Educator & family resources
In-depth guides on understanding NCES data, school choice, and education funding.
Understanding NCES data
How CCD, CRDC and EDFacts feed every public-school number you see.
Choose a school district
Eight signals that matter more than the overall ranking number.
How schools are funded
Title I, F-33, state aid formulas and what per-pupil spending really means.
Chronic absenteeism
Why missing 10% of school matters and how it varies by district.
Magnet vs charter vs traditional
Three school types, three funding models, three sets of trade-offs.
School discipline data
What CRDC suspension and expulsion records do and don't reveal.
Frequently asked questions about Walnut Ridge Elementary School
How many students attend Walnut Ridge Elementary School?
Walnut Ridge Elementary School has 630 students enrolled. It is a other school in WALNUT RIDGE, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Ridge Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Ridge Elementary School is 14.9:1, which is 10% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 6% lower than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Walnut Ridge Elementary School?
43.3% of students at Walnut Ridge Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Ridge Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Ridge Elementary School is White at 89.7%. The school serves a diverse student body in WALNUT RIDGE, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Ridge Elementary School?
Walnut Ridge Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 44/100 (D) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, counselor availability, attendance rates. This index measures federal resource allocation — staffing levels, program availability, and support services — not standardized test scores or academic outcomes.