Summary:
The North Little Rock School District contains two middle schools—North Little Rock Middle School (serving grades 7-8 with 1,036 students) and North Little Rock Middle School 6th Grade Campus (serving grade 6 with 548 students)—both located in a high-poverty area where 100% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch, and the district ranks in the 20th percentile statewide.
Comparing the two schools reveals a clear "6th grade advantage": the 6th Grade Campus outperforms the upper-grade school in every core subject for the 2025-2026 school year, with 29.1% proficiency in English Language Arts versus 21.2% at North Little Rock Middle School, 28.2% versus 16.7% in math, and 27.9% versus 22.0% in science. This advantage likely stems from higher per-student spending ($14,255 vs. $12,826) and a lower student-teacher ratio (12.5:1 vs. 14.1:1) at the 6th Grade Campus. However, North Little Rock Middle School stands out for its exceptional advanced math program: 70% of 8th graders taking Geometry were proficient in 2025-2026, nearly three times the state average of 26.4%, and 25.7% of Algebra students were proficient, double the district average. This creates a "barbell effect" where a small group excels in advanced coursework while most students struggle with grade-level standards.
Both schools showed strong year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with the 6th Grade Campus nearly doubling its proficiency rates in English Language Arts (from 15.6% to 29.1%) and science (from 12.6% to 27.9%), while North Little Rock Middle School improved in math (from 10.6% to 16.7%) and science (from 18.3% to 22.0%). Despite these gains, both schools remain well below state averages in core subjects, suggesting that while recent interventions may be working, significant work remains to close the gap with the rest of Arkansas.
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