Education (K-12) · 2024–25 school year
Arkansas Public Schools
Public K-12 education statistics for Arkansas — 491,268 students in 1,117 schools in 2024–25, with enrollment history back to 1986 and county-level detail from 2002.
| Statistic | Value | School year |
|---|---|---|
| Student enrollment | 491,268 | 2024–25 |
| Public schools | 1,117 | 2024–25 |
| Teachers (full-time equivalent) | 39,269 | 2024–25 |
| Pupil-teacher ratio | 12.5 | 2024–25 |
| Free/reduced-price lunch students | 64.8% | 2024–25 |
| School poverty rate (MEPS) | 19.9% | 2022–23 |
| Charter school enrollment | 9.2% | 2024–25 |
| High school graduation rate | 89.9% | 2022–23 |
| Math proficiency (of tested) | 38.3% | 2021–22 |
| Reading proficiency (of tested) | 39.9% | 2021–22 |
| Chronically absent students | 25.6% | 2021–22 |
| White students | 57.0% | 2024–25 |
| Black students | 19.2% | 2024–25 |
| Hispanic students | 15.3% | 2024–25 |
| Asian students | 1.9% | 2024–25 |
Not every statistic is collected every year — each row shows its most recent available school year (amber when older than 2024–25). Blank/absent means not collected or below reliability floors, never zero. Some universal-meals states no longer report free/reduced-price lunch — school poverty (MEPS) is the better lens there. A 0% charter share in a state without a charter-school law is a true zero.
Arkansas state report card
Outcomes reported directly by Arkansas’s education agency — often more current than the federal series above. Because each state uses its own tests, definitions, and reporting windows, these figures are not comparable state-to-state; each row notes how Arkansas measures it.
| Measure | Latest | Trend | School year |
|---|---|---|---|
Math proficiency (state test) How Arkansas measures thisATLAS general summative mathematics, spring 2026 administration (PRELIMINARY results), 'Math Combined' = grade-level Math (grades 3-8) plus Algebra and Geometry end-of-course tests, grades 3-11. Proficient-or-above = Levels 3 & 4. Computed as sum of per-grade 'Math Combined N Level 3 & 4' counts (112,102) divided by sum of 'Math Combined N Tested' (274,452) from the 'State' sheet. | 40.9% | 2025–26 | |
Reading / ELA proficiency (state test) How Arkansas measures thisATLAS general summative ELA, spring 2026 administration (PRELIMINARY results), grades 3-10. Proficient-or-above = Levels 3 & 4. No all-grades state aggregate is published: value computed as sum of per-grade 'ELA N Level 3 & 4' counts (111,954) divided by sum of 'ELA N Tested' (283,571) from the 'State' sheet; the spring-2026 file, unlike spring 2025, publishes level counts. | 39.5% | 2025–26 |
Source: ArkansasDepartment of Education (public reporting), 2026 collection. Not comparable across states — proficiency reflects different assessments and cut scores; graduation, dropout, and college-going use each state’s own cohort definitions and windows. Absent rows mean the state doesn’t publish that measure in a comparable file.
Arkansas schools by county
Students enrolled, 2024–25.
Arkansas schools — FAQ
How many students attend public school in Arkansas?+
491,268 students were enrolled in Arkansas's 1,117 public K-12 schools in the 2024–25 school year, taught by 39,269 full-time-equivalent teachers (NCES Common Core of Data).
What share of Arkansas students get free or reduced-price lunch?+
64.8% of Arkansas public school students were eligible for free or reduced-price lunch in 2024–25 — a common proxy for student economic need.
What is Arkansas's high school graduation rate?+
89.9% of Arkansas's adjusted cohort graduated in the 2022–23 school year — the federal EDFacts adjusted cohort graduation rate. Graduation rates run from 2010–11 onward.
Where does this data come from?+
Core statistics (enrollment, schools, teachers, poverty, demographics) come from the National Center for Education Statistics — the Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and the Civil Rights Data Collection. The most recent graduation rates and the state report-card outcomes (proficiency, college-going, dropout, chronic absenteeism) come directly from state education agencies, which publish sooner than the federal series. Full source and license details are on the methodology page. pumsdata is independent and not affiliated with NCES or any state agency.
Other states
Data: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics (CCD, EDFacts, CRDC) and ED Data Express, plus current-year graduation and report-card outcomes from state education agencies. Full source and license details on the methodology page.