Summary:
There is one elementary school, Peake Elementary School, serving students from Pre-Kindergarten through 4th grade in the Arkadelphia School District, a district where over two-thirds of students come from economically disadvantaged households.
Peake Elementary School is a standout for its remarkable academic turnaround. The school's state ranking jumped from the 28th percentile (1 star) in 2023-2024 to the 51st percentile (3 stars) in 2025-2026, a gain of 23 percentile points in just two years. In the most recent school year, Peake outperformed the district average in every subject and grade level tested. However, a critical finding is a significant performance gap between grade levels: 3rd graders scored above the state average in all subjects, while 4th graders scored below the state average in every subject. This "4th grade slump" is most pronounced in Mathematics (49.2% vs. 36.1%) and Science (47.7% vs. 36.1%).
Key metrics show overall proficiency rates for 2025-2026 are 42.1% in English Language Arts, 43.8% in Reading, 43.3% in Mathematics, and 42.5% in Science. While the school beats the district average, it still trails the state average in Math (43.3% vs. 44.1%) and Science (42.5% vs. 44.0%). With a student-teacher ratio of 19.5:1 and spending of $10,525 per student, the school's rapid improvement suggests recent interventions are working. The primary area for future focus is closing the 3rd-to-4th grade performance gap and boosting STEM scores to meet state benchmarks.
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