Summary:
The Cossatot River School District in Arkansas serves two elementary-level schools: Cossatot River Elementary School (Grades 3-6) and Cossatot River Primary School (Grades K-2), with a total enrollment of 370 students in a high-poverty area where over 98% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Cossatot River Elementary School stands out for its strong performance in Science and Reading, despite the district's overall 2-star rating. In the most recent testing year, the school outperformed state averages in Science (56.4% proficient vs. 44% statewide) and Reading (48.7% vs. 40.4% statewide), with 3rd graders achieving an impressive 70.3% proficiency in Science. However, Mathematics is a clear weakness, with only 42% of students proficient—below the state average of 44.1%—and this gap widens in upper grades, where 5th graders scored just 28.6% proficient. The school has a favorable student-teacher ratio of 14.6:1 and spends $12,026 per student, but its state ranking dropped from the 85th percentile (4-star) in 2023-2024 to the 65th percentile (3-star) in 2025-2026, a decline worth noting.
In contrast, Cossatot River Primary School (K-2) lacks standardized test data, as state testing begins in 3rd grade, creating a blind spot in understanding how well students are prepared for elementary school. With a slightly lower student-teacher ratio of 13.8:1 and similar poverty levels, the Primary School may be laying a strong foundation, but no academic metrics are available to confirm this. For parents, Cossatot River Elementary School offers notable strengths in Science and Reading, but the recent dip in overall ranking and persistent math challenges suggest areas for improvement, while the Primary School remains an unknown quantity academically.
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