Other / mixed grade configuration · Ward, AR

Ward Central Elementary

Federal NCES profile for Ward Central Elementary, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 46/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050375000170
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0/100100/10046/100
👥 S:T ratio
35
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
48
📋 Attendance
29
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Ward Central Elementary earns 46/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 74% of Arkansas schools.

46
Resource Index · Typical
16.3:1
large classes for Arkansas
46.6%
free-lunch eligible
520
students enrolled

Ward Central Elementary has class sizes larger than 74% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.

School address

Ward, AR 72176
District: Cabot School District · Arkansas

NCES ID 050375000170 Verify on NCES CCD record →

CCD year-over-year · 2022-23 → 2023-24

+27 students YoY

Ward Central Elementary grew from 494 students in 2022-23 to 521 in 2023-24 (+5.5%).

Teacher FTE added 32.3 → 35.6 across the same CCD years.

Source: NCES Common Core of Data public-school universe (2022-23, 2023-24).

Growing CCD campus

+27 students YoY 050375000170 · Ward, AR Other · MID · TRAD

520 enr · 16.3:1 · 46.6% lunch · RII 46

Nearest enrollment peer: Cabot High School (2,170 students)

Ward Central Elementary grew from 494 students in 2022-23 to 521 in 2023-24 (+5.5%). Teacher FTE added 32.3 → 35.6 across the same CCD years. Read with this school → · District book → · Arkansas schools → · Find another →

Ward Central Elementary in the enrollment neighbourhood

Fall enrollment among this campus and nearest district peers

students

What this shows Ward Central Elementary reports 520 students on the CCD universe file.

Source U.S. Department of Education, NCES Common Core of Data (Public School Universe) As of 2024-25

How Ward Central Elementary compares

Ward Central Elementary is a growing campus on CCD: ratios and free-lunch share vs Arkansas and U.S. means.

Metric This school vs Arkansas Arkansas avg U.S. avg
Students per teacher 16.3:1 ▲ 20% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 46.6% ▼ 21% 59.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 520 top 29% - -

Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25

16.3:1
Leaner classes than 36% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
520
Bigger than 64% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators methodology

Economic need
46.6%
free-lunch eligible - 21% 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
16.3:1
students per teacher - 20% above state mean
Top 74% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 26% of state schools
Between 16:1 and 20:1, squarely in the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
28.3%
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
$10,792
per pupil, district-wide - below Arkansas avg of $12,818
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 260 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
1
in-school suspensions + 10 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.1 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

Student demographics

White 78.7%
Two or More 11.2%
Hispanic or Latino 8.1%
African American 1.9%
Asian 0.2%

Largest group: White at 78.7% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 36.1/100

Simpson diversity index - at 36.1, Ward Central Elementary is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

District finance for Cabot School District reports $10,792 per pupil (NCES F-33) - open the district page for the full revenue mix.

How Ward Central Elementary Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
Cabot High School Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Cabot Junior High North Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Cabot Middle School North Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Cabot Freshman Academy Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio
Cabot Middle School South Larger Lower economic need Similar S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Ward Central Elementary's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

Cabot School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

Nationwide other schools with similar size or staffing

Out-of-state peers matched by enrollment and by student-teacher ratio, not the same-city or same-district lists above.

Similar enrollment (~520 students)

Similar student-teacher ratio (~16.3:1)

Frequently asked questions about Ward Central Elementary

How many students attend Ward Central Elementary?

Ward Central Elementary has 520 students enrolled. It is a public school in Ward, AR. CCD year-over-year: 494 (2022-23) → 521 (2023-24), up 27.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Ward Central Elementary?

The student-teacher ratio at Ward Central Elementary is 16.3:1, which is 20% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 4% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Ward Central Elementary?

46.6% of students at Ward Central Elementary are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Ward Central Elementary?

The largest demographic group at Ward Central Elementary is White at 78.7% of enrollment, in Ward, AR.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Ward Central Elementary?

Ward Central Elementary has a Resource Investment Index of 46/100 (typical reported resources relative to schools nationally) based on 4 factors: student-teacher ratio, gifted-program reporting, counselor availability, chronic absenteeism. Not a test-score or academic measure (national median ~41/100, see methodology).

What other schools are in Cabot School District?

Besides Ward Central Elementary, Cabot School District also operates Cabot High School (2,170 students), Cabot Junior High North (920 students), and Cabot Middle School North (828 students). See the Cabot School District district page for the complete list.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2022-23) · 2024-25 Data as of the 2024-25 school year. Coverage from U.S. Department of Education NCES Common Core of Data. Varies by entity type; administrative districts and certain charter networks may report only a subset of fields.

All federal data sources used on this page

Full source list and how we compute each figure: methodology page.

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Compiled from official source data by .