Catholic School Statistics

Updated Nov. 20, 2020

The following statistics are from Catholic schools in Arkansas. Also available is a map of Catholic schools in Arkansas. If you have questions about this information, please contact the Catholic Schools Office. For national statistics, visit the National Catholic Education Association.

Total Enrollment: 6,750

This includes the enrollment in all 26 Catholic schools in Arkansas.

• Elementary enrollment: 4,338
• Secondary enrollment: 1,805
• Preschool enrollment: 607

Makeup of Student Body

Each is provided as a percentage of all students.

• Percentage of Catholic students: 76
• Percentage of non-Catholic Students: 24
• Percentage of white students: 90
• Percentage of Hispanic students: 18*
• Percentage of non-Hispanic students: 82 (Hispanic is not considered a race but an ethnic group.)
• Percentage of Asian students: 2
• Percentage of Black students: 2
• Percentage of two or more races: 5

Makeup of Professional Staff

There are a total of 597 professional staffers working in Catholic schools. Their status is provided as a percentage of all professional staff.

• Percentage of staff who are laypeople: 97
• Percentage of staff who are Catholic: 75
• Percentage of staff who are non-Catholic: 25

Average Annual Cost of Educating One Child in Elementary School: $6,398

The following shows the difference between the cost and tuition fees in Catholic elementary schools.

• Average tuition rate in elementary school for first Catholic child: $4,062
• Average tuition rate in elementary school for non-Catholic first child: $5,617

Average Annual Cost of Educating One Child in Secondary School: $9,889

The following shows the difference between the cost and tuition fees in Catholic secondary schools. These averages include the rates from St. Joseph School in Conway, Sacred Heart School in Morrilton, Ozark Catholic Academy in Springdale, Catholic High School in Little Rock and Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock.

• Average Catholic tuition rate for secondary Catholic school: $6,412
• Average non-Catholic tuition rate for secondary Catholic school: $7,024

Oldest Catholic School: Mount St. Mary Academy in Little Rock, established in 1851

Mount St. Mary Academy was part of an effort by Bishop Andrew Byrne to support Catholic settlement in frontier Arkansas. Learn more from the school's website.

Terra Nova National Achievement Test 2019

All Catholic schools in the Diocese of Little Rock administer the Terra Nova National Achievement Test in grades 1-8 each year. Any score above the 50th percentile is above average. The following lists the results for Arkansas Catholic schools in 2019. This test was not administered in 2020 because of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Grade	Total Battery
1	60
2	69
3	70
4	71
5	72
6	76
7	77
8	79

ACT Test 2019

The following shows the average test scores of Catholic high school students verses public high school students in Arkansas. These averages include: Subiaco Academy, Sacred Heart School in Morrilton, St. Joseph School in Conway, Catholic High School in Little Rock and Mount St. Mary Academy, both in Little Rock. Test scores were not collected in 2020 because of the COVID-19 global pandemic.

Subject	Arkansas Average	Catholic Schools Average
English	19.0	25.2
Math	18.7	22.7
Reading	19.6	24.9
Science	19.2	23.4
Composite	19.3	24.2