Enrollment
756
Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data
2024-25 NCES data Other / mixed grade configuration NCES 050402001353
Westside Elementary School — Jonesboro, AR
Federal NCES profile for Westside Elementary School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators — Resource Investment Index 42/100.
👥 Class size 26
🌟 Gifted program 70
🎓 Counselors 24
📋 Attendance 46
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: Westside Cons. 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)
41.0
Federal CCD staff survey
Students per teacher
18.5:1
vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg
+36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible
42.4%
vs 59.2% Arkansas avg
-28% vs state
Student-teacher ratio in context
How Westside 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
Westside Elementary School reports 756 enrolled students to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) alongside 41.0 full-time-equivalent teachers, producing a 18.5:1 student-teacher ratio. That figure sits 36% 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 16% higher, a useful calibration for families comparing districts across state lines.
Title I and federal lunch eligibility offer another window into the student body: 42.4% of pupils qualify for free meals, a proxy for household income that federal programs use to direct funding. The free-lunch share is 28% below the Arkansas average and 18% below the national baseline. Counselor coverage works out to roughly 378 students per counselor, above the ASCA-recommended ceiling of 250:1. Chronic absenteeism — missing 10% or more of school days — stands at 21.6% according to the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.
On the finance side, the surrounding Westside Cons. School District spends $11,184 per pupil district-wide, below the Arkansas average of $14,269 and below the national average of $19,490. Revenue comes 29.0% from local sources (property taxes), 52.5% from the state, and 18.5% from federal programs per the NCES F-33 finance survey. Taken together, these measurements produce a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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 Westside 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 | 18.5:1 | ▲ 36% | 13.6:1 | 15.9:1 |
| Free-lunch eligible | 42.4% | ▼ 28% | 59.2% | 51.8% |
| Enrollment | 756 | top 91% | — | — |
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
42.4%
free-lunch eligible
— 28% 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
18.5:1
students per teacher
— 36% above state mean
Top 90% in Arkansas — lower ratio than 10% of state schools
Between 15:1 and 20:1 — in line with the typical U.S. public-school staffing range.
Engagement
21.6%
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
$11,184
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
Counselors2.0 FTE
Per 378 students — the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
0
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 0.0 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.
Overview
Enrollment 756 Top 91% in Arkansas — larger than 9% of 1,069 state schools
Teachers (FTE) 41.0
Students per teacher 18.5:1 +36% vs state
Free-lunch eligible 42.4% -28% vs state
NCES ID 050402001353
Student demographics
White 91.5%
Two or More 3.4%
African American 2.5%
Hispanic or Latino 1.5%
Native Hawaiian / Pacific Islander 0.5%
Asian 0.4%
American Indian / Alaska Native 0.1%
Largest group: White at 91.5% of enrollment.
Programs & staff
Gifted & talented Yes
Counselors (FTE) 2.0
Students per counselor 378:1
Discipline & special education
Chronically absent 21.6%
In-school suspensions 0
Out-of-school suspensions 0
Funding & spending
District-wide per-pupil expenditure for Westside Cons. School District, which includes Westside Elementary School.
$11,184
Per student
-22%
vs Arkansas
Avg $14,269
-43%
vs U.S.
Avg $19,490
Revenue mix
Local 29.0%
State 52.5%
Federal 18.5%
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
- 647
- Students per teacher
- 13:1
- Enrollment
- 414
- Students per teacher
- 12.6:1
Similar other schools in Jonesboro
6 comparable other schools (grades Mixed) serving the same city.
Douglas Macarthur Jhs
Standard public school
765 students 14.4:1 students per teacher
Annie Camp Jr. High School
Standard public school
701 students 15.4:1 students per teacher
Valley View Junior High School
Standard public school
699 students 15.5:1 students per teacher
Valley View Elementary School
Standard public school
668 students 15.2:1 students per teacher
Westside High School
Standard public school
647 students 13:1 students per teacher
University Hgts. Elem. School
Standard public school
446 students 15.1:1 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 Westside Elementary School
How many students attend Westside Elementary School?
Westside Elementary School has 756 students enrolled. It is a other school in JONESBORO, AR.
What is the student-teacher ratio at Westside Elementary School?
The student-teacher ratio at Westside Elementary School is 18.5:1, which is 36% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 16% higher than the national average of 15.9:1.
What percentage of students receive free lunch at Westside Elementary School?
42.4% of students at Westside Elementary School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.
What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Westside Elementary School?
The largest demographic group at Westside Elementary School is White at 91.5%. The school serves a diverse student body in JONESBORO, AR.
What is the Resource Investment Index for Westside Elementary School?
Westside Elementary School has a Resource Investment Index of 42/100 (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.