Park Elementary School

Park Elementary School in Corning, AR, serves 361 students from Pre-K through 4th grade in a rural setting and is part of the Corning School District. The school has shown impressive recent improvement, climbing from the 34th percentile to the 55th percentile in state rankings over the past two years and earning a 3-star rating. This upward trend stands out when compared to nearby schools like Marmaduke Elementary School, which dropped from the 75th to the 58th percentile, and Rector Elementary School and Maynard Elementary School, which have seen stagnation or decline.

Park Elementary’s greatest strength is in reading and English language arts (ELA), where it outperforms the state average—a feat only matched by Marmaduke among nearby schools. Its 4th-grade cohort is particularly exceptional, exceeding state averages in every subject: ELA (48.4% vs. 41.4%), reading (51.7% vs. 40.9%), math (50.0% vs. 47.0%), and science (56.6% vs. 44.4%). This across-the-board success is unmatched by any peer school. However, 3rd graders are struggling, scoring below state averages in all subjects, which highlights a critical area for improvement. The dramatic leap from 3rd to 4th grade suggests effective interventions or a strong cohort, and understanding this success could help replicate it for future classes.

Math is a relative weakness, with overall proficiency (41.3%) below the state average (44.1%) and significantly lower than Marmaduke (53.3%). Despite serving a high-needs population (78.67% free/reduced lunch), Park achieves strong results with less funding per student ($10,869) than Marmaduke ($13,612), Rector ($13,959), or Maynard ($11,835), demonstrating cost-efficiency. The contrast with Maynard Elementary, which has a near-universal poverty rate and ranks in the bottom 25%, underscores Park’s effectiveness in overcoming socioeconomic challenges. Park Elementary is a school on the rise, with a clear path to continued growth by focusing on math and early-grade literacy.