Enrollment
437
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Other / mixed grade configuration · Walnut Ridge, AR
Walnut Ridge High School
Federal NCES profile for Walnut Ridge High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 59/100.
2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050008201216
👥 S:T ratio 67
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 65
📋 Attendance 32
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Walnut Ridge High School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% of Arkansas schools.
- 59
- Resource Index · Higher
- 8.2:1
- small classes for Arkansas
- 35.5%
- free-lunch eligible
- 437
- students enrolled
Walnut Ridge High School has class sizes smaller than 85% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
School address
District: Lawrence County School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050008201216 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
53.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
8.2:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-40% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
35.5%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-40% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Walnut Ridge High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Walnut Ridge High School
Walnut Ridge High School is a mid-sized combined-grade school in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas, enrolling 437 students.
Classes run notably small here: at 8.2:1, Walnut Ridge High School is leaner than roughly 85% of Arkansas schools and 40% under the state's 13.6:1 norm, more adult attention per pupil than most peers.
Economic need runs somewhat below the state's typical profile, with 35.5% of students eligible for free meals.
With 437 students, its enrollment sits close to the Arkansas median campus size.
Its Resource Investment Index lands in the upper third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Among 251 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #14, a top-tier result once campus size and economic need are matched.
Its student body is predominantly White (84% of enrollment) (diversity index 29/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 175 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 27.2% 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.
Discipline events run high: 100 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 437 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 1 expulsion at this campus for 2021-22.
Its district, Lawrence County School District, also runs Walnut Ridge Elementary School (630 students).
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 Walnut Ridge High School compares
Walnut Ridge 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 | 8.2:1 | ▼ 40% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 35.5% | ▼ 40% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 437 | top 42% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
8.2:1
Leaner classes than 95% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
437
Bigger than 53% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
35.5%
free-lunch eligible
- 40% 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
8.2:1
students per teacher
- 40% below state mean
Top 15% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 85% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
27.2%
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
$9,980
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
Counselors2.5 FTE
Per 175 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
87
in-school suspensions + 13 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 19.9 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 22.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 1 expulsion.
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 83.8%
Two or More 7.1%
Hispanic or Latino 5.9%
African American 1.8%
Asian 0.7%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.7%
Largest group: White at 83.8% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 28.9/100
Simpson diversity index - at 28.9, Walnut Ridge High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
AP courses offered 7
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Lawrence County School District, which includes Walnut Ridge High School.
$9,980
Per student
-19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-40%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Walnut Ridge High School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Walnut Ridge Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Walnut Ridge High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 630
- Students per teacher
- 16.2:1
- Resource Index
- 43/100
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 (~437 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~8.2:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Walnut Ridge High School's federal record.
- Compare Walnut Ridge High School against another school. Compare schools
- Lawrence County 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 Walnut Ridge High School
How many students attend Walnut Ridge High School?
Walnut Ridge High School has 437 students enrolled. It is a public school in Walnut Ridge, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Walnut Ridge High School?
The student-teacher ratio at Walnut Ridge High School is 8.2:1, which is 40% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 48% 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 Walnut Ridge High School?
35.5% of students at Walnut Ridge High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Walnut Ridge High School?
The largest demographic group at Walnut Ridge High School is White at 83.8% of enrollment, in Walnut Ridge, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Walnut Ridge High School?
Walnut Ridge High School has a Resource Investment Index of 59/100 (higher reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, AP course offerings, counselor availability, attendance rates. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).
Is Walnut Ridge High School a good school?
Walnut Ridge High School earns 59/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes smaller than 85% 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 Lawrence County School District?
Besides Walnut Ridge High School, Lawrence County School District also operates Walnut Ridge Elementary School (630 students). See the Lawrence County 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.