Other / mixed grade configuration · West Memphis, AR

Wonder Junior High School

Federal NCES profile for Wonder Junior High School, including enrollment, faculty, free-lunch eligibility, demographics, and resource indicators - Resource Investment Index 33/100.

2024-25 NCES dataOther / mixed grade configurationNCES 050804000532
0/100100/10033/100
👥 S:T ratio
36
🌟 Gifted program
70
🎓 Counselors
0
📋 Attendance
27
Scored 0–100 from federal NCES and CRDC indicators, resource allocation, not test scores. Full methodology →

The verdict

Wonder Junior High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most Arkansas schools.

#4 of 6
schools in West Memphis · Resource Index
33
Resource Index · Typical
16:1
large classes for Arkansas
100.0%
free-lunch eligible

Wonder Junior High School has class sizes larger than 71% of Arkansas schools. Computed live against every Arkansas school reporting to NCES.

By Resource Investment Index, Wonder Junior High School ranks #4 of 6 schools in West Memphis, AR.

Enrollment

511

Arkansas · 2024-25 NCES data

Teachers (FTE)

32.0

Federal CCD staff survey

Students per teacher

16:1

vs 13.6:1 Arkansas avg

+18% vs state

Free-lunch eligible

100.0%

vs 59.2% Arkansas avg

+69% vs state

Student-teacher ratio in context

How Wonder Junior High School compares with Arkansas and U.S. medians

Slightly above state median

Source: NCES Common Core of Data As of 2024-25 federal staff survey Total enrollment ÷ full-time-equivalent classroom teachers

What stands out at Wonder Junior High School

Wonder Junior High School is a high-poverty, mid-sized combined-grade school in West Memphis, Arkansas, enrolling 511 students.

Class loads run somewhat heavier than typical: 16:1 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by student-teacher ratio.

Economic need runs somewhat above the state's typical profile, with 100.0% of students eligible for free meals.

Enrollment of 511 puts it in the larger third of Arkansas schools by headcount.

Its Resource Investment Index lands in the lower third of 1,066 scored Arkansas schools.

Among 135 similarly sized, similarly resourced-need Arkansas schools statewide, it ranks #105, in the lower tier once campus size and economic need are matched.

Its student body is predominantly African American (97% of enrollment), among the less diverse in the state (diversity index 7/100).

Counselor access is stretched at roughly 511 students per counselor, well above the ASCA-recommended 250:1 ceiling.

Chronic absenteeism is elevated: 29.2% of students missed 10% or more of school days (2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection).

Its district draws 26.6% of revenue from federal sources, an above-typical federal share that tends to track a higher-need student population.

Discipline events run high: 103 in- and out-of-school suspensions were reported for 511 students in the 2021-22 Civil Rights Data Collection.

West Memphis School District also operates The Academies of West Memphis Charter School (897 students) and Jackson/Wonder Elementary School (554 students) alongside Wonder Junior High 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 Wonder Junior High School compares

Wonder Junior 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 16:1 ▲ 18% 13.6:1 15.7:1
Free-lunch eligible 100.0% ▲ 69% 59.2% 51.7%
Enrollment 511 top 30% - -

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

16:1
Leaner classes than 38% of US schools, a middle-of-the-pack class size.
511
Bigger than 63% of US schools by enrollment, mid-sized for the country.

Equity indicators (what these measure)

Economic need
100.0%
free-lunch eligible - 69% 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
16:1
students per teacher - 18% above state mean
Top 71% in Arkansas - lower ratio than 29% of state schools
Close to the 15:1 benchmark most often cited for individualized attention.
Engagement
29.2%
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
$11,814
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
Counselors1.0 FTE
Per 511 students, the combined health-and-guidance staffing load for this school.
Discipline context
103
in-school suspensions + 0 out-of-school
Suspension rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Combined in-school and out-of-school rate: 20.2 per 100 students. Reported via the Civil Rights Data Collection.

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 96.5%
White 1.2%
Hispanic or Latino 1.2%
Two or More 1.0%
Asian 0.2%

Largest group: African American at 96.5% of enrollment.

Student-body diversity index 6.8/100

Simpson diversity index - at 6.8, Wonder Junior High School is less mixed than the Arkansas school average of 40.4.

Programs

Gifted & talented Yes

Funding & spending

District-wide per-pupil expenditure for West Memphis School District, which includes Wonder Junior High School.

$11,814
Per student
-4%
vs Arkansas
Avg $12,251
-29%
vs U.S.
Avg $16,593
Revenue mix
Local 17.5%
State 55.9%
Federal 26.6%

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 Wonder Junior High School Compares to District-Mates

School Enrollment Economic Profile Student-Teacher Ratio
The Academies of West Memphis Charter School Larger Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio
Jackson/Wonder Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Faulk Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Bragg Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Similar S:T ratio
Richland Elementary School Similar size Similar economic need Lower S:T ratio

Comparisons are relative to Wonder Junior High School's own figures; each column derives from NCES Common Core of Data.

Other Schools in This District

West Memphis School District · 5 sibling schools

View district profile

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.

Next steps

Verify locally before acting on Wonder Junior High School's federal record.

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 Wonder Junior High School

How many students attend Wonder Junior High School?

Wonder Junior High School has 511 students enrolled. It is a public school in West Memphis, AR.

What is the student-teacher ratio at Wonder Junior High School?

The student-teacher ratio at Wonder Junior High School is 16:1, which is 18% higher than the Arkansas average of 13.6:1 and 2% higher than the national average of 15.7:1.

What percentage of students receive free lunch at Wonder Junior High School?

100.0% of students at Wonder Junior High School are eligible for free lunch, compared to the Arkansas average of 59.2%.

What is the racial and ethnic makeup of Wonder Junior High School?

The largest demographic group at Wonder Junior High School is African American at 96.5% of enrollment, in West Memphis, AR.

What is the Resource Investment Index for Wonder Junior High School?

Wonder Junior High School has a Resource Investment Index of 33/100 (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 Wonder Junior High School rank among schools in West Memphis?

By Resource Investment Index, Wonder Junior High School ranks #4 of 6 schools in West Memphis, AR. This compares federal resource and staffing data among local peers; it is not a test-score or academic ranking. See all schools in West Memphis on the city page.

Is Wonder Junior High School a good school?

Wonder Junior High School earns 33/100 on the Resource Investment Index, with class sizes larger than 71% of Arkansas schools. It is also less racially and ethnically mixed than most 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 West Memphis School District?

Besides Wonder Junior High School, West Memphis School District also operates The Academies of West Memphis Charter School (897 students), Jackson/Wonder Elementary School (554 students), and Faulk Elementary School (523 students). See the West Memphis School District district page for the complete list.

Source: National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) CCD + Public School Universe (2024-25), CRDC (2021-22), F-33 District Finance Survey (FY 2021-22) · 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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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.