Summary:
The Calico Rock School District is a small, rural district in Arkansas serving approximately 347 students across two schools: Calico Rock Elementary School (grades K-6) and Calico Rock High School (grades 7-12). The district earns a 4-star rating and ranks 75th out of 251 districts in the state, a notable achievement given that over 98% of its students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Calico Rock Elementary School stands out as the district's academic engine, particularly in early literacy. In the 2025-2026 school year, it significantly outperformed state averages in English Language Arts (48.6% vs. 39.4%), Reading (48.6% vs. 40.4%), and Science (50.4% vs. 44.0%). Its 3rd-grade reading proficiency is especially impressive, with 69% of students proficient compared to the state average of 43.1%. In contrast, Calico Rock High School excels in Mathematics, with 53.7% of students proficient in math in 2024-2025, dramatically outperforming the district (39.1%) and state (38.7%) averages. The high school also boasts an exceptionally low student-to-teacher ratio of 6.2:1 and high per-student spending of $15,308, creating a highly personalized learning environment.
A key takeaway is the district's effective use of resources to overcome the challenges of high poverty. The elementary school's strong early literacy foundation feeds into the high school, which maintains a strong 92.0% graduation rate and a low 1.7% dropout rate. However, there is a notable resource disparity within the district: the high school's student-to-teacher ratio is nearly half that of the elementary school (11.1:1). This strategic allocation appears to support strong math performance at the secondary level, while the elementary school has shown remarkable improvement, catching up to the state average in math proficiency after previously lagging behind. Overall, the district demonstrates that targeted investment and effective teaching can yield strong results even in a high-poverty setting.
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