Enrollment
383
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Elementary school (grades K-5) NCES 050900001474
Watson Elementary School — Little Rock, AR
Federal NCES profile for Watson Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 28/100.
👥 Class size 17
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 23
📋 Attendance 0
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: Little Rock 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)
20.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
20.8:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
88.7%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+50% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Watson 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
Watson Elementary School reports 383 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 20.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 20.8:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 53% 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 31% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 88.7% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 50% above the Arkansas average and 71% above the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 383 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 77.5% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Little Rock School District spends $15,987 per pupil district-wide, above the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 52.7% from local sources (property taxes), 26.7% from the state, and 20.7% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F), 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 Watson 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 | 20.8:1 | ▲ 53% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 88.7% | ▲ 50% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 383 | top 48% | — | — |
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
88.7%
free-lunch eligible
— 50% above the Arkansas average of 59.2%
Above the 40% Title I schoolwide threshold — federal funds support the whole school, not individual students.
Staffing depth
20.8:1
students per teacher
— 53% above state mean
Top 98% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 2% of state schools
Above 20:1 — larger class loads than the typical U.S. public school; staffing is stretched relative to enrollment.
Engagement
77.5%
chronically absent (missed 10%+ of school days)
Chronic absenteeism at or above 20% — the CDC threshold for "high" — signals significant barriers to regular attendance.
Funding equity
$15,987
per pupil, district-wide
— above Arkansas avg of $14,269
Below the U.S. average per-pupil spend — funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 383 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
5
in-school suspensions + 6 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 1.3 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 2.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 383 Top 48% in Arkansas — larger than 52% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 20.0
Students per teacher 20.8:1 +53% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 88.7% +50% vs state
NCES ID 050900001474
Student demographics
Hispanic or Latino 51.4%
African American 42.8%
White 3.7%
Two or More 1.8%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.3%
Largest group: Hispanic or Latino at 51.4% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 1.0
Students per counselor 383:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 77.5%
In-school suspensions 5
Out-of-school suspensions 6
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Watson Elementary School.
$15,987
Per student
+12%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-18%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 52.7%
State 26.7%
Federal 20.7%
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
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.5:1
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.1:1
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.3:1
Similar elementary schools in Little Rock
6 comparable elementary schools (grades K-5) serving the same city.
Arkansas Virtual Academy
Standard public school
1,387 students 28.9:1 students per teacher
Don Roberts Elementary School
Standard public school
1,035 students 19.3:1 students per teacher
J.a. Fair K8 Preparatory School
Standard public school
779 students 13:1 students per teacher
Forest Heights Stem Academy
Standard public school
777 students 15.7:1 students per teacher
Exalt Academy of Southwest Little Rock
Standard public school
754 students 10:1 students per teacher
Estem Elementary School
Standard public school
672 students 15.6:1 students per teacher
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 Watson Elementary School
How many students attend Watson Elementary School?
Watson Elementary School has 383 students enrolled. It is a elementary school in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Watson Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Watson Elementary School is 20.8:1, which is 53% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 31% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Watson Elementary School?
88.7% of students at Watson Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Watson Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Watson Elementary School is Hispanic or Latino at 51.4%. The school serves a diverse student body in LITTLE ROCK, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Watson Elementary School?
Watson Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 28/100 (F) 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.