Summary:
Wickes, Arkansas, is home to a single school, Cossatot River Elementary School, which serves 200 students in grades 3 through 6 within the Cossatot River School District.
Despite a very high rate of economic disadvantage, with 98.5% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, Cossatot River Elementary stands out for its strong academic performance. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school outperformed both its district and the state average in English Language Arts (47.2% vs. 39.4% state), Reading (48.7% vs. 40.4% state), and Science (56.4% vs. 44.0% state). This is a significant achievement, showing the school is effectively overcoming socioeconomic barriers. However, Mathematics is a clear area for improvement, as the school's proficiency rate of 42.0% falls below the state average of 44.1%. The school is a clear academic leader within its district, consistently scoring higher in every subject and grade level.
A key finding is a notable performance dip for 5th graders across all subjects, with math proficiency dropping to just 28.6% compared to the state average of 45.0%. This suggests a need for targeted intervention at that grade level. Additionally, while the school's proficiency rates remain strong, its state ranking dropped from the 85th percentile (4 stars) in 2024-2025 to the 65th percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, indicating that other schools across Arkansas are improving at a faster pace. The school's exceptional Science performance, outpacing the state by over 12 percentage points, is a standout strength worth noting.
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