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Ellen Smith Elementary School

Public Grades K-4

379^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 491 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 23% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Ellen Smith Elementary School is a K-4 public school in Conway, AR, serving 461 students within the Conway School District, a district ranked in the top 65% of Arkansas.

The most important thing for parents to know is that Ellen Smith has experienced a dramatic and recent academic decline. After earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the top 25% of Arkansas elementary schools just a few years ago, the school has dropped to a 1-star rating and now sits in the 23rd percentile statewide. This steep fall is an outlier compared to nearby schools. For example, Woodrow Cummins Elementary School and Carolyn Lewis Elementary School are just a few miles away and consistently rank in the top 20% of the state, suggesting the challenges at Ellen Smith are school-specific rather than district-wide. The school also spends more per student ($11,593) than these higher-performing peers, indicating a potential issue with how resources are being used.

The decline is heavily concentrated in the 4th grade, where proficiency rates are significantly lower than in 3rd grade across English, Reading, and Science. This points to a specific problem with the current 4th-grade cohort. There is one bright spot: 4th-grade Math scores actually improved by 10 points from the previous year, outperforming 3rd graders in that subject. This isolated success could offer a valuable model for improvement. The school most similar to Ellen Smith is Marguerite Vann Elementary School, which also has high poverty rates and low performance, but Ellen Smith’s recent history of success makes its current situation feel more like a crisis that demands immediate attention.

461

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,593

Per pupil spending ?

63.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 S. Donaghey St
Conway, AR 72034

(501) 450-4815

District: Conway School District

Students who attend Ellen Smith Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bob Courtway Middle School
High:	Conway High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.3%

African American:

31.2%

Hispanic:

20.4%

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At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 76th percentile in 2016 → 23rd in 2026

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arkansas average (32% vs 42% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (23rd percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 53 percentile points since 2016

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school32%

District avg46%

Arkansas avg42%

379^th of 491

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 23%▼ down 53 pts since 2016

From top 24% (2016) to bottom 23% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

9^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Conway School District

89^th of 251Conway School District among Arkansas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arkansas percentile	Rating
2026	29.4	379 of 491	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2025	28.6	373 of 495	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	65.3	166 of 497	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.4	114 of 492	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	60.9	195 of 487	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	248 of 496	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.8	224 of 488	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	113 of 480	76.5%	★★★★☆
2017	50.3	249 of 485	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	69.1	121 of 494	75.5%	★★★★☆
2015	83.1	53 of 466	88.6%	★★★★☆
2014	86.4	26 of 471	94.5%	★★★★★
2013	84.7	27 of 476	94.3%	★★★★★
2012	88.6	7 of 468	98.5%	★★★★★
2011	89.2	9 of 471	98.1%	★★★★★
2010	87.6	17 of 457	96.3%	★★★★★
2009	91.0	9 of 445	98.0%	★★★★★
2008	84.2	37 of 439	91.6%	★★★★★
2007	82.3	49 of 440	88.9%	★★★★☆
2006	88.7	19 of 402	95.3%	★★★★★
2005	78.6	58 of 411	85.9%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?

Science34%-10 vs state

Reading34%-7 vs state

English Language Arts31%-9 vs state

Mathematics30%-14 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ellen Smith Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2026)			ATLAS Reading (2026)			ATLAS Mathematics (2026)			ATLAS Science (2026)			Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ellen Smith Elementary School	Public	K-4	1601 S. Donaghey St	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4815	461	27	16.8	63.6%	181 (39.3%)	144 (31.2%)	94 (20.4%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.0%)	29.4	379^th of 491 public elementary schools	22.8%		28.6	373^rd of 495 public elementary schools	24.6%	6	38.7	22.1	30.7	41.9	24.4	33.5	26.0	33.7	29.8	41.3	25.6	33.7	$11,593	$1,786	$9,808
Marguerite Vann Elementary School	Public	K-4	2845 Carl Stuart Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4870	359	22	16.0	70.8%	135 (37.6%)	126 (35.1%)	52 (14.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.3%)	31.5	365^th of 491 public elementary schools	25.7%		28.4	375^th of 495 public elementary schools	24.2%	10	38.5	36.7	37.7	41.4	31.7	36.9	30.0	20.0	25.4	34.3	28.3	31.5	$12,542	$1,188	$11,354
Carolyn Lewis Elementary School	Public	K-4	1805 Military Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4835	514	30	17.3	54.5%	230 (44.7%)	167 (32.5%)	52 (10.1%)	9 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.7%)	82.1	70^th of 491 public elementary schools	85.7%		80.2	82^nd of 495 public elementary schools	83.4%	12	67.0	58.3	62.5	67.0	56.3	61.5	50.5	55.4	53.0	55.5	56.3	56.0	$11,164	$1,159	$10,005
Ida Burns Elementary School	Public	K-4	1201 Donaghey Ave	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4825	384	23	17.0	70.3%	172 (44.8%)	129 (33.6%)	45 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.6%)	46.5	277^th of 491 public elementary schools	43.6%		60.9	193^rd of 495 public elementary schools	61.0%	84	43.8	37.3	40.6	39.7	37.4	38.5	47.9	49.3	48.7	34.3	34.7	34.5	$13,365	$1,291	$12,074
Jim Stone Elementary School	Public	K-4	4255 College Ave	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4808	357	22	15.9	50.7%	173 (48.5%)	77 (21.6%)	67 (18.8%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.7%)	73.9	123^rd of 491 public elementary schools	74.9%		59.8	199^th of 495 public elementary schools	59.8%	76	53.4	59.8	56.4	49.3	61.2	55.0	50.6	46.3	48.6	52.1	53.7	52.8	$13,142	$1,361	$11,781
Julia Lee Moore Elementary School	Public	K-4	1301 Country Club Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4830	328	22	15.0	40.5%	200 (61.0%)	69 (21.0%)	16 (4.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (12.2%)	66.1	165^th of 491 public elementary schools	66.4%		88.4	46^th of 495 public elementary schools	90.7%	119	50.0	46.9	48.3	54.7	48.2	51.1	46.9	50.6	48.9	50.0	44.4	46.9	$13,210	$1,212	$11,998
Preston & Florence Mattison Elementary School	Public	K-4	2001 Florence Mattison Drive	Conway	72032	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4820	417	25	16.9	70.5%	151 (36.2%)	117 (28.1%)	94 (22.5%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.8%)	36.5	335^th of 491 public elementary schools	31.8%		55.3	227^th of 495 public elementary schools	54.1%	108	41.3	37.1	39.2	38.7	42.3	40.5	26.3	37.2	31.8	27.6	32.0	29.8	$12,297	$1,532	$10,765
Theodore Jones Elementary School	Public	K-4	1800 Freyaldenhoven Ln	Conway	72032	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-6645	491	27	17.9	65.0%	163 (33.2%)	204 (41.5%)	64 (13.0%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (10.8%)	51.9	247^th of 491 public elementary schools	49.7%		40.1	313^th of 495 public elementary schools	36.8%	66	45.9	44.8	45.3	41.9	42.7	42.3	34.2	50.0	43.2	45.2	34.3	39.0	$10,924	$1,378	$9,546
Woodrow Cummins Elementary School	Public	K-4	1400 Padgett Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	No	(501) 513-4417	450	25	17.9	36.9%	255 (56.7%)	78 (17.3%)	66 (14.7%)	19 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.1%)	78.3	90^th of 491 public elementary schools	81.7%		80	84^th of 495 public elementary schools	83.0%	6	55.2	59.6	57.5	55.1	56.6	55.9	54.0	56.6	55.4	51.7	52.6	52.1	$10,890	$753	$10,137
Mayflower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	7 Ashmore Drive	Mayflower	72106	Faulkner County	Mayflower School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 470-0387	363	28	12.9	70.5%	285 (78.5%)	21 (5.8%)	20 (5.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.6%)	64.3	177^th of 491 public elementary schools	64.0%		33	352^nd of 495 public elementary schools	28.9%	175	67.2	33.3	50.4	67.3	33.3	50.4	49.2	25.0	37.2	65.6	60.0	62.8	$11,904	$1,611	$10,293

Frequently Asked Questions about Ellen Smith Elementary School

Is Ellen Smith Elementary School a good school?

Ellen Smith Elementary School ranks in the bottom 22.8% of Arkansas elementary schools.

What district is Ellen Smith Elementary School in?

Conway School District

How many students attend Ellen Smith Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 461 students attended Ellen Smith Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Ellen Smith Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ellen Smith Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bob Courtway Middle School
High : Conway High School

What is the racial makeup of Ellen Smith Elementary School?

Students at Ellen Smith Elementary School are 39% White, 31% African American, 20% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

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SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.