Best Public Schools in Ozark, AR

The city of Ozark, Arkansas, is home to four schools serving 1,534 students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade, split between the Ozark School District (ranked in the 47th percentile) and the Mulberry Pleasant View Bi County School District (ranked in the 12th percentile).

Within the Ozark School District, Ozark Upper Elementary School stands out as the strongest academic performer, with English Language Arts and Reading proficiency rates exceeding state averages. Ozark Junior Senior High School shows a strong upward trajectory, improving its state ranking from the 60th to the 81st percentile in one year, and boasts a 92.5% graduation rate with an exceptionally low 0.1% dropout rate. Its students excel in advanced subjects like Biology and Geometry. Elgin B Milton Primary School demonstrates a unique strength in 3rd-grade Mathematics, with a 58.2% proficiency rate that far surpasses the state average of 45.5%. In contrast, Pleasant View Campus School, the only school in the lower-ranked district, faces significant challenges with a 100% free/reduced lunch rate and academic performance consistently well below state averages, despite having the highest per-student spending at $14,147.

A key takeaway is the stark performance gap between the two districts, highlighting that financial resources alone do not guarantee academic success when serving a high-needs population. The data also reveals a "middle school dip," with Pleasant View's 5th-grade Math proficiency at 18.2% compared to Ozark Upper Elementary's 51.9%. Overall, families in the Ozark School District can find strong elementary options and a high school that excels in advanced coursework, while the Pleasant View school serves a community with profound economic needs that require targeted support.