Maddux Elementary School

Maddux Elementary School is a K-6 public school in West Memphis, AR, serving 402 students in a high-poverty area where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch. Part of the West Memphis School District, the school has historically ranked in the bottom 10-15% of Arkansas elementary schools, but a remarkable surge in mathematics is setting it apart from nearby schools.

The most striking finding is Maddux’s exceptional performance in math, especially in 3rd grade. In the 2025-2026 school year, 54.1% of 3rd graders were proficient in math—nearly double the district average and 8.6 points above the state average. This outperforms every other school in the district, including Richland Elementary (37%), and even surpasses magnet schools in the neighboring Marion School District, such as Herbert Carter Global Community Magnet School (30.1%). Overall math proficiency jumped from 11.2% to 37.4% in just one year—a 234% increase—while nearby schools like Faulk Elementary (22.4%) and Weaver Elementary (22.7%) lagged behind. This suggests a targeted math program or intervention is working well at Maddux.

However, the school still faces significant challenges in other subjects. English Language Arts and Reading scores remain well below state averages, and science proficiency is just 14.7%—nearly 30 points lower than the state. A fascinating comparison is with Weaver Elementary, located just 0.66 miles away, which spends nearly double per student ($25,226 vs. $13,327) but achieves far worse results, including only 4% proficiency in 3rd grade math. This highlights that effective use of resources, not just spending, drives success. Maddux’s math gains offer a promising blueprint, but replicating that success across all subjects is the key to its future improvement.