Summary:
The Fordyce School District is home to a single elementary school, Fordyce Elementary Schools, which serves 338 students in grades PK through 6 in a high-poverty community where 78% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.
Fordyce Elementary Schools is a school with a significant paradox: it spends a very high amount per student—$20,358—yet its academic performance is well below state averages. The school consistently ranks in the bottom 30% of Arkansas elementary schools, and its ranking has declined from the 29th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 20th percentile in 2025-2026. Overall proficiency rates for the 2025-2026 school year are low across the board, with only 27.4% of students proficient in English Language Arts, 28.7% in Reading, 35.3% in Math, and 30.8% in Science, all significantly trailing the state averages. The only bright spot is 4th grade Mathematics, where 51.3% of students are proficient, exceeding the state average of 47.0%.
Despite the overall challenges, there are a few key takeaways for parents. The school did show slight year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026 in all subjects, with Math seeing the largest gain of 4.0 percentage points. However, a concerning pattern is a "6th grade slump," where proficiency rates drop to their lowest levels across all subjects, including just 22.8% in Math and 20% in ELA. The high per-student spending, which is likely among the highest in the state, does not appear to be translating into strong academic results, raising important questions about how funds are being used. The success in 4th grade Math suggests that a specific approach or program is working well and could potentially be replicated in other grades and subjects to help improve overall performance.
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