Little Rock education statistics at a glance
Little Rock education statistics paint a district-and-city picture that is more detailed than a simple grade or test score. The Little Rock School District has 19,565 students, a 17-student average class size, and a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025), while the city around it brings its own context through population, income, and educational attainment data from U.S. Census QuickFacts.
Table of contents
- Fast facts
- Little Rock School District enrollment and staffing
- Achievement and growth
- Student demographics and support needs
- Little Rock city education context
- School-level enrollment snapshot
- What the numbers suggest
Fast facts
Big number: Little Rock School District enrollment is 19,565 (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
Classroom snapshot: The district’s average class size is 17, which lines up with a 13:1 student-to-teacher ratio (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
Experience marker: Average years teaching experience in the district is 13.72 (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
Academic snapshot: The district letter grade is C (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025).
City context: Little Rock, Arkansas has a July 1, 2025 population estimate of 206,427 (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
Attainment marker: Among Little Rock residents age 25 and older, 44.6% have a bachelor’s degree or higher (U.S. Census QuickFacts).
Little Rock School District enrollment and staffing
The district data shows a large urban system with enough scale to require careful staffing and resource allocation. The district serves 19,565 students across 39 total schools, with 21,105 total students reported in the NCES district detail for 2023-2024 and 1,425.17 classroom teachers FTE (NCES district detail 2023-2024).
That staffing base matters because the district’s average class size is 17, while the student-teacher ratio is 13:1 in the district report card and 14.81 in the NCES district detail (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025; NCES district detail 2023-2024). Those figures are not identical because they come from different reporting systems and definitions, but together they suggest a district where staffing levels are substantial relative to enrollment.
At a glance: district operating profile
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | 19,565 | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Schools | 39 | NCES district detail 2023-2024 |
| Classroom teachers FTE | 1,425.17 | NCES district detail 2023-2024 |
| Student-teacher ratio | 13:1 | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Average class size | 17 | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Average years teaching experience | 13.72 | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Per-pupil expenditures | $18,008.70 | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
The per-pupil expenditure figure of $18,008.70 (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025) gives a useful funding benchmark. In a district this size, per-student spending is most useful when read alongside staffing and outcomes rather than in isolation.
Why staffing details matter
A district can have a similar enrollment to another system and still feel very different on the ground. Little Rock’s reported 13.72 years of average teaching experience (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025) suggests a staff base with substantial classroom history. That does not automatically translate into higher achievement, but it does indicate a district with seasoned educators rather than a large concentration of early-career staff.
The NCES staff counts also show a wide support structure: 3,171.72 total staff, 400.00 instructional aides FTE, 59.50 guidance counselors, 19.00 school psychologists, 34.00 librarians/media specialists, and 97.00 school administrators (NCES district detail 2022-2023). Those numbers point to a district that needs layered student support, not just classroom instruction.
Achievement and growth
The district’s academic profile is mixed rather than extreme. Little Rock School District holds a C letter grade, with 28% ELA proficiency, 24% math proficiency, and 29% science proficiency at Levels 3 or 4 (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025). The growth metrics are somewhat stronger than the proficiency figures might suggest: 52% ELA growth target attainment, 49% math growth target attainment, and 48% science growth target attainment (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025).
That pattern matters because growth can reveal progress even when proficiency levels remain modest. In practical terms, a district can be moving students forward without yet producing a sharply higher share of students at the top proficiency levels.
Core achievement indicators
- ELA proficiency: 28% at Levels 3 or 4 (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025)
- Math proficiency: 24% at Levels 3 or 4 (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025)
- Science proficiency: 29% at Levels 3 or 4 (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025)
- ELA growth target attainment: 52% (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025)
- Math growth target attainment: 49% (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025)
- Science growth target attainment: 48% (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025)
The low-performing student subgroup adds another layer. For students performing below benchmark, growth target attainment is 54% in ELA, 54% in math, and 55% in science (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025). Those figures suggest that lower-performing students are not being left entirely behind in growth terms, even if districtwide proficiency remains limited.
What stands out in the achievement data
- Math proficiency is the lowest of the three tested areas at 24% (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025).
- Science proficiency is slightly higher at 29% but still under one-third of students at Levels 3 or 4 (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025).
- Growth target attainment in ELA, math, and science stays around the halfway mark, which suggests movement that has not yet fully converted into proficiency (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025).
- The district’s overall C grade reinforces the idea of a system with room to improve but not one in collapse (ADE My School Info district letter grade 2024-2025).
Student demographics and support needs
The district’s enrollment profile shows a student body with a wide range of needs. 17% of students are English learners, 72% are low-income students, and 17% are eligible for special education services (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
Those proportions matter because they help explain why simple aggregate outcome metrics can hide the complexity of district operations. A district serving a large low-income population, a significant English learner group, and a meaningful special education population must distribute supports across many different needs at once.
Demographic snapshot
| Measure | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| English learners | 17% | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Low-income students | 72% | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Special education eligibility | 17% | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| Graduation rate | 82% | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
| College-going rate | 39% | ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025 |
The graduation rate is 82% and the college-going rate is 39% (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025). That gap is worth noticing because it suggests that graduation and college enrollment are not the same outcome. Students can finish high school without immediately moving into college, and the district’s data makes that separation visible.
Key takeaways from the student profile
- The district serves a student body with substantial support needs, especially given the 72% low-income share (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
- English learner services are not niche; they are a major part of the district’s daily work at 17% of students (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
- Special education support is also significant at 17% (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
- The 82% graduation rate is stronger than the academic proficiency percentages, showing that completion and test performance are not moving in lockstep (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
- The 39% college-going rate shows that postsecondary transition remains an important area of focus (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025).
Little Rock city education context
The city-level figures help explain the educational environment surrounding the district. Little Rock’s July 1, 2025 population estimate is 206,427, up from 204,774 on July 1, 2024, and the city increased 1.9% from April 1, 2020 to July 1, 2025 (U.S. Census QuickFacts). That makes the city large enough to sustain a broad school system while still feeling locally concentrated in how education services are experienced.
City snapshot for education context
- Residents under 18: 24.3% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Residents age 65 and over: 15.6% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Foreign-born residents: 8.3% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Households with a computer: 96.1% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Households with broadband internet subscription: 91.4% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Residents age 25+ with a high school diploma or higher: 92.6% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Residents age 25+ with a bachelor’s degree or higher: 44.6% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Mean travel time to work: 18.5 minutes (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Median household income: $63,003 (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Poverty rate: 17.5% (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Households: 87,858 (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Persons per household: 2.26 (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
- Land area: 120.05 square miles (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
The high household computer rate of 96.1% and broadband subscription rate of 91.4% (U.S. Census QuickFacts) suggest relatively strong digital access at the household level. That can support school communication, assignments, and online services, but it does not eliminate the need for school-based digital equity work.
The city’s 44.6% bachelor’s degree attainment among adults age 25 and older (U.S. Census QuickFacts) is a notable benchmark because it provides context for how many households may already have experience navigating higher education. At the same time, the 17.5% poverty rate (U.S. Census QuickFacts) keeps the picture from looking uniformly affluent.
Why the city context matters for schools
Little Rock schools operate in a city with a meaningful mix of educational attainment, income levels, and household access to technology. That combination often shapes everything from attendance patterns to family engagement to how students think about college.
The district’s 39% college-going rate should be read in that environment, not in isolation. When many adults in the community already have some exposure to higher education, college messaging may have different leverage than it would in a city with much lower degree attainment. At the same time, the district still serves a majority low-income student population, which means affordability and readiness remain central barriers.
School-level enrollment snapshot
School-level enrollment data shows how unevenly students are distributed across campuses. Some schools are very large, while early childhood centers show zero enrollment in the district list snapshot, which likely reflects how the list captures the 2024-2025 year rather than a uniform program structure (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025).
Largest enrollments in the district snapshot
| School | Enrollment | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Central High School | 2,371 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| Little Rock Southwest High School | 2,045 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| Dr. Marian G. Lacey K-8 Academy | 1,252 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| Parkview Magnet High School | 1,072 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| Don Roberts Elementary School | 1,035 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| Pinnacle View Middle School | 807 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| J.A. Fair K8 Preparatory School | 779 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
| Forest Heights Stem Academy | 777 | ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025 |
These larger campuses matter because they absorb a sizeable share of district enrollment. For example, Central High School alone has 2,371 students and Little Rock Southwest High School has 2,045 students (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025). That kind of concentration can influence staffing patterns, extracurricular capacity, and student services.
Smaller and mid-sized campus examples
- Williams Magnet Elementary School: 340 students (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025)
- Gibbs Magnet Elementary School: 271 students (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025)
- McDermott Elementary School: 254 students (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025)
- Western Hills Elementary School: 202 students (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025)
- Carver Steam Magnet Elementary School: 232 students (ADE My School Info district school list 2024-2025)
The spread between the district’s largest and smaller schools suggests a system with a wide range of campus sizes. That can be operationally demanding, but it also allows some schools to function as specialized or magnet-centered environments.
What the numbers suggest
Little Rock education statistics show a district with substantial scale, meaningful staffing, and a student body that faces real support needs. The most important pattern is not a single score; it is the relationship between moderate academic outcomes, solid graduation performance, and a city context that includes both higher educational attainment and persistent poverty.
The district’s key profile can be summarized this way:
- Scale: nearly 20,000 students in the district, with 39 schools (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025; NCES district detail 2023-2024)
- Resources: $18,008.70 per pupil and a broad staffing structure (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025; NCES district detail 2022-2023)
- Outcomes: 82% graduation, 39% college-going, and proficiency rates in the 24% to 29% range (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025)
- Student need: 72% low-income, 17% English learners, and 17% special education (ADE My School Info district report card 2024-2025)
- Community context: a city of 206,427 with 44.6% bachelor’s degree attainment among adults 25+ (U.S. Census QuickFacts)
For readers trying to understand Little Rock education statistics quickly, the clearest takeaway is that the district is balancing a large and diverse student population against outcomes that still leave plenty of room for improvement. The data does not point to a single story; it points to a system that is serving many different student needs at once.