Enrollment
202
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
Elementary school (grades K-5) · Little Rock, AR
Western Hills Elem. School
Federal NCES profile for Western Hills Elem. School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 45/100.
2024-25 NCES dataElementary school (grades K-5)NCES 050900000635
👥 S:T ratio 50
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 60
📋 Attendance 0
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →
The verdict
Western Hills Elem. School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median.
- #8 of 28
- elementary schools in Little Rock · Resource Index
- 45
- Resource Index · Typical
- 12.6:1
- students per teacher
- 77.4%
- free-lunch eligible
Western Hills Elem. School has class sizes near the Arkansas median. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.
By Resource Investment Index, Western Hills Elem. School ranks #8 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR.
School address
District: Little Rock School District · Arkansas
NCES ID 050900000635 Verify on NCES CCD record →
Teachers (FTE)
16.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
12.6:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
-7% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
77.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
+31% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Western Hills Elem. School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians
What stands out at Western Hills Elem. School
Western Hills Elem. School is a high-poverty, small elementary school in Little Rock, Arkansas, enrolling 202 students.
Class sizes run a bit leaner than typical: 12.6:1 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.
Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 77.4% of students eligible for free meals.
Enrollment of 202 puts it in the smaller third of Arkansas schools by headcount.
Its Resource Investment Index sits near the middle of the pack among 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.
Against 19 statewide peers matched on enrollment and economic need, it ranks mid-pack at #12.
Its student body is led by African American (55%) and Hispanic or Latino (34%) (diversity index 57/100).
Counselor coverage is strong, about 202 students per counselor, inside the American School Counselor Association's recommended 250:1.
Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 64.4% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).
Its district draws 20.7% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.
The federal civil-rights collection also records 2 expulsions at this campus for 2021-22.
Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students) and Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students) alongside Western Hills Elem. 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 Western Hills Elem. School compares
Western Hills Elem. 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 | 12.6:1 | ▼ 7% | 13.6:1 | 15.7:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 77.4% | ▲ 31% | 59.2% | 51.7% |
| Enrollment | 202 | top 86% | - | - |
Source: NCES Common Core of Data School-level CCD + state/national means from Public School Universe · 2024-25
12.6:1
Leaner classes than 70% of US schools, among the more generously staffed nationally.
202
Bigger than 20% of US schools by enrollment, a small campus.
Equity indicators (what these measure)
Economic need
77.4%
free-lunch eligible
- 31% 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
12.6:1
students per teacher
- 7% below state mean
Top 39% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 61% of state schools
Well under the widely cited 15:1 individualized-attention benchmark, among the leaner class loads nationally.
Engagement
64.4%
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
$14,597
per pupil, district-wide
- above Arkansas avg of $12,251
Somewhat below the U.S. average per-pupil spend; funding constraints may affect programs, facilities, and staffing.
Support staff
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 202 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 24 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 11.9 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection. Includes 2 expulsions.
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
African American 55.4%
Hispanic or Latino 34.2%
White 7.4%
Two or More 3.0%
Largest group: African American at 55.4% of enrollment.
Student-body diversity index 57.0/100
Simpson diversity index - at 57.0, Western Hills Elem. School is more mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.
Programs
Gifted & talented Yes
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Little Rock School District, which includes Western Hills Elem. School.
$14,597
Per student
+19%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-12%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
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.
How Western Hills Elem. School Compares to District-Mates
| School | Enrollment | Economic Profile | Student-Teacher Ratio |
|---|---|---|---|
| Central High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Little Rock Southwest High School | Larger | Similar economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Parkview Magnet High School | Larger | Lower economic need | Similar S:T ratio |
| Don Roberts Elementary School | Larger | Lower economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
| Chicot Elementary School | Larger | Similar economic need | Higher S:T ratio |
Comparisons are relative to Western Hills Elem. School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.
Other Schools in This District
- Enrollment
- 2,371
- Students per teacher
- 14.7:1
- Resource Index
- 53/100
- Enrollment
- 2,045
- Students per teacher
- 13.3:1
- Resource Index
- 45/100
- Enrollment
- 1,072
- Students per teacher
- 13.2:1
- Resource Index
- 36/100
- Enrollment
- 1,035
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 49/100
- Enrollment
- 897
- Students per teacher
- 19.9:1
- Resource Index
- 23/100
Similar elementary 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 (~202 students)
Similar student-teacher ratio (~12.6:1)
Next steps
Verify locally before acting on Western Hills Elem. School's federal record.
- Compare Western Hills Elem. School against another school. Compare schools
- Little Rock 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 Western Hills Elem. School
How many students attend Western Hills Elem. School?
Western Hills Elem. School has 202 students enrolled. It is an elementary school in Little Rock, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Western Hills Elem. School?
The student-teacher ratio at Western Hills Elem. School is 12.6:1, which is 7% lower than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 20% 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 Western Hills Elem. School?
77.4% of students at Western Hills Elem. School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Western Hills Elem. School?
The largest demographic group at Western Hills Elem. School is African American at 55.4% of enrollment, in Little Rock, AR. Its student body is more racially and ethnically mixed than most US schools, with a diversity index of 57.0/100.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Western Hills Elem. School?
Western Hills Elem. School has a Resource Investment Index of 45/100 (typical 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 Western Hills Elem. School rank among elementary schools in Little Rock?
By Resource Investment Index, Western Hills Elem. School ranks #8 of 28 elementary schools in Little Rock, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all elementary schools in Little Rock on the city page.
Is Western Hills Elem. School a good school?
Western Hills Elem. School earns 45/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes near the Arkansas median. 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 Little Rock School District?
Besides Western Hills Elem. School, Little Rock School District also operates Central High School (2,371 students), Little Rock Southwest High School (2,045 students), and Parkview Magnet High School (1,072 students). See the Little Rock 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.