Summary:
Bearden Elementary School is the sole elementary school in the Bearden School District, serving 219 students in grades Kindergarten through 6th grade in a high-poverty area of Arkansas where 98.63% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Bearden Elementary School is a school on a strong upward trajectory, making it a standout for improvement. In the 2025-2026 school year, the school jumped from the 19th percentile to the 36th percentile in statewide rankings, moving from a 1-star to a 2-star rating. This dramatic improvement is reflected in double-digit gains across all subjects: English Language Arts proficiency rose 12.1 points to 36.8%, Reading rose 15.3 points to 38.4%, Mathematics rose 13.2 points to 40%, and Science rose 11.7 points to 29.6%. The school outperforms its district average in every subject, though it still trails the state average, particularly in Science where the gap is 14.4 percentage points. A notable bright spot is 4th grade, where students outperform the state average in both English Language Arts (43.3% vs. 41.4%) and Reading (43.4% vs. 40.9%).
Key metrics include a low student-to-teacher ratio of 11.2:1 and a per-student spending of $13,742, reflecting a significant investment in resources for a high-need population. However, a concerning trend is the "Science slide" in upper grades: the Science proficiency gap widens from 8.7 points below the state in 3rd grade to over 20 points below in 5th and 6th grades. While the school's investment and recent gains are encouraging, the data highlights the profound challenge of closing the achievement gap with the state average, especially in Science for older students.
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