Summary:
The Magazine School District in Arkansas is served by a single elementary school, Magazine Elementary School, which educates 295 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 6th grade in a community where over 76% of students are economically disadvantaged.
While the school's overall proficiency scores for the 2025-2026 school year are near the state average in English Language Arts (44.0% vs. 39.4%), Reading (40.8% vs. 40.4%), Mathematics (44.8% vs. 44.1%), and Science (48.0% vs. 44.0%), these numbers are heavily influenced by an exceptional 5th grade class. This cohort scored roughly 50-65% higher than the state average in every subject, including 67.8% proficiency in Math and 70.9% in Science. However, this success is not systemic; 3rd, 4th, and 6th graders consistently scored below state averages, with 4th grade Reading at just 28.6% proficiency compared to the state's 40.9%. The school's state ranking has also dropped dramatically from the 82nd percentile (4-star) in 2023-2024 to the 51st percentile (3-star) in 2025-2026.
A standout positive is a remarkable 14.7 percentage point improvement in overall Mathematics proficiency from the previous year, jumping from 30.1% to 44.8%. This turnaround, combined with the high per-student spending of $15,930, suggests resources are being deployed effectively in some areas but have not yet produced consistent results across all grade levels. The school appears to be in a period of transition, with the key challenge being to replicate the 5th grade's success and the Math improvement across the entire school to reverse its declining ranking trend.
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