Benton School District

The Benton School District in Arkansas operates 8 schools, including 5 elementary schools, 1 middle school, 1 high school, and 1 alternative school, serving students from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade. The district as a whole is ranked 44th out of 250 districts in the state and is rated 4 out of 5 stars by SchoolDigger.

Within the district, a few schools stand out for their exceptional performance. Benton High School is ranked 5th out of 291 Arkansas high schools and has consistently high proficiency rates, with 58.1% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts and 63.9% in Biology. Caldwell Elementary School ranks 41st out of 495 Arkansas elementary schools and boasts 60.1% proficiency in English Language Arts and 61.9% in Science. Another high-performing school is Mt. View Elementary, ranking 52nd in the state with 55.6% proficiency in English Language Arts and 58% in Mathematics.

While the district overall performs well, there are significant differences in academic achievement between the top-performing and lower-performing schools. For example, Angie Grant Elementary struggles, with only around 25-30% proficiency, in contrast to the exceptional results at Caldwell Elementary. This disparity appears to be correlated with socioeconomic factors, as the schools with the highest free and reduced lunch rates tend to have the lowest academic performance. Further analysis of resource allocation and other factors could provide valuable insights to help improve equity and achievement across the district.