Pulaski County Special School District

The Pulaski County Special School District serves 25 schools across central Arkansas, including 16 elementary, 4 middle, 4 high schools, and 1 alternative school, and is ranked 158th out of 251 districts in the state with a 2-star rating.

This district presents a stark contrast between its top and bottom performers. The standout schools are concentrated in the western part of the district, led by Baker Elementary School, which ranks in the 89th percentile and boasts the highest test scores in the district with 65.6% math proficiency and the lowest free/reduced lunch rate at 26.04%. Chenal Elementary School also excels, ranking in the 80th percentile. The Joe T. Robinson Elementary School, Joe T. Robinson Middle School, and Joe T. Robinson High School form a successful pipeline, with the middle school ranking in the 87th percentile and the high school being the only one to exceed state averages in ELA and Biology. In contrast, Harris Elementary School is the lowest-performing school, ranking in the 4th percentile with critically low proficiency rates despite having the highest per-student spending at $22,401. Mills University Studies High School is the lowest-performing high school, with a 75.4% graduation rate and only 6.3% proficiency in Algebra.

A key takeaway is that higher spending does not guarantee better results, as the three highest-spending schools are among the lowest-performing. Mathematics is a district-wide crisis, with proficiency rates critically low across almost all schools, including at top performers like Baker Elementary. The Maumelle High School and Maumelle Middle School are troubling anomalies, underperforming despite a relatively affluent community, suggesting factors beyond economics, such as school leadership and curriculum, are at play. Overall, the district's 2-star rating reflects this internal inconsistency, where high-performing pockets are dragged down by a larger number of underperforming schools.