Jacksonville North Pulaski School District

The Jacksonville North Pulaski School District in Arkansas serves six schools—four elementary schools, one middle school, and one high school—and faces significant academic challenges, with the district ranking in the 8th percentile statewide.

Among the elementary schools, Bayou Meto Elementary School stands out as the top performer, achieving proficiency rates that approach or exceed state averages in several subjects, such as 47.2% in 5th-grade ELA, and earning a 29th percentile ranking—the highest in the district. In contrast, Jacksonville Elementary School is the most struggling, ranking dead last in the state (0th percentile) with proficiency rates roughly half the district average. Murrell Taylor Elementary School shows a positive but volatile trajectory, having improved from the 12th to the 39th percentile before settling at the 22nd. Bobby G Lester Elementary School ranks in the 9th percentile, while Jacksonville Middle School is a weak link at the 6th percentile, with only 14% of students proficient in math. Jacksonville High School ranks in the 9th percentile, with a graduation rate of 81% and a critical crisis in Algebra, where only 4.6% of students are proficient compared to the state average of 36.9%.

A key finding is that higher per-student spending does not guarantee better performance—Murrell Taylor Elementary spends the most ($16,007 per student) but is not the top school, while Bayou Meto Elementary spends less ($13,143) and achieves the best results. The district must focus on replicating successful practices from its standout schools and providing intensive support to its most struggling ones, particularly in math instruction from early grades.