Summary:
The Mountainburg School District is served by a single elementary school, Mountainburg Elementary School, which educates students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade with a total enrollment of 338 students in a rural Arkansas community.
Mountainburg Elementary School has shown remarkable academic improvement over the past year, with proficiency rates jumping by over 10 percentage points in every subject between the 2024-2025 and 2025-2026 school years. The school serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, with 100% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch, yet it has achieved standout performance in specific areas. Most notably, 4th graders are outperforming their peers in other grades and exceeding state averages in every subject, including Mathematics (58.8% proficient vs. 47% state average) and Science (58.8% proficient vs. 44.4% state average). This "4th grade peak" suggests an especially effective teacher or curriculum that the school should study and replicate. The school's overall state ranking has improved from the 38th percentile in 2023-2024 to the 48th percentile in 2025-2026, earning a 2-star rating.
Despite these successes, 3rd grade remains a significant challenge, with students scoring well below state averages in Science (29% proficient vs. 45.4% state average) and Mathematics (31.6% vs. 45.5% state average), indicating foundational gaps that need attention. The school spends $13,620 per student and maintains a 16:1 student-to-teacher ratio. As the only elementary school in the district, Mountainburg Elementary School's performance directly determines the district's overall standing, which ranks 152 out of 251 districts statewide. The dramatic one-year turnaround in test scores is a major success story, and parents can expect continued focus on replicating the 4th-grade model while addressing early elementary challenges.
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