Mayflower School District

The Mayflower School District in Arkansas is a small, unified district serving approximately 1,015 students across three schools: Mayflower Elementary School (PK-4), Mayflower Middle School (5-8), and Mayflower High School (9-12). The district ranks 118th out of 251 in Arkansas, earning a 3-star rating, and serves a community with a high level of economic disadvantage, as reflected in free/reduced lunch rates ranging from 62% to 71%.

Mayflower Elementary School is the standout performer, showing a remarkable turnaround from a 1-star to a 3-star school in a single year. Its 2025-2026 proficiency rates in English Language Arts (50.4%), Reading (50.4%), and Science (62.8%) all exceed state averages, despite having the highest percentage of economically disadvantaged students in the district. In contrast, Mayflower Middle School is a critical area of concern, with declining rankings and proficiency rates below state averages in all subjects, most notably a 14.5% proficiency rate in 5th-grade Math compared to the state average of 45.0%. Mayflower High School offers mixed results: while its overall test scores are below state averages, it excels in upper-level math (9th-grade Algebra at 35.2% vs. 25.3% state) and boasts a strong 93.6% graduation rate and a very low 0.5% dropout rate.

Key takeaways include the elementary school's success despite high economic disadvantage, suggesting effective instructional strategies that could be replicated. The middle school's poor performance, coupled with the lowest spending per student ($9,965) and highest student-teacher ratio (14.8:1), highlights resource challenges. However, the high school's lower student-teacher ratio (10.3:1) does not translate to top test scores, indicating that factors like curriculum and leadership are crucial. The district's narrative is one of divergence: the elementary school is rising, while the middle school is falling, making it essential for parents to consider each school's unique trajectory when evaluating options.