Elementary Schools in Van Buren School District

Summary:

The Van Buren School District in Arkansas is home to 6 elementary schools serving students from pre-kindergarten through 5th grade. The data reveals a mix of high-performing and lower-performing schools within the district, with several standout institutions leading the way.

Oliver Springs Elementary School, Parkview Elementary School, and Rena Elementary School emerge as the top performers, earning high statewide rankings and demonstrating strong proficiency rates across core subjects like Math, Reading, and Science. In contrast, Central Elementary School and King Elementary School lag behind, struggling to meet state averages in key areas.

The data also reveals significant disparities in funding and student demographics across the schools, with high-poverty institutions like James R. Tate Elementary School facing unique challenges. While increased spending does not necessarily translate to improved outcomes, addressing achievement gaps and understanding the impacts of poverty will be crucial for the district moving forward.

District Detail

2221 Pointer Trail
Van Buren, AR 72956

(479) 474-7942

SchoolDigger Rank:
102^nd of 250 Arkansas districts

See the 2025 Arkansas District rankings!

Grades served: PK, KG-12
Students: 5,703

Primary Schools: 6
Middle Schools: 2
High Schools: 1
Alternative Schools: 2

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2025)				ATLAS Reading (2025)				ATLAS Mathematics (2025)				ATLAS Science (2025)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading 5th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 5th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rena Elementary School	Public	K-5	720 Rena Road	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3190	414	21	19.3	54.8%	279 (67.4%)	6 (1.4%)	63 (15.2%)	7 (1.7%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (13.3%)	71.2	131^st of 495 public elementary schools	73.5%		62.5	187^th of 497 public elementary schools	62.4%	56	56.0	45.0	31.1	44.0	52.0	46.7	35.2	44.5	73.3	58.3	39.2	56.9	57.3	38.3	33.8	43.6	$9,607	$596	$9,011
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	913 N 24 St	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-7059	466	25	18.3	75.3%	296 (63.5%)	14 (3.0%)	74 (15.9%)	8 (1.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (14.6%)	36.2	336^th of 495 public elementary schools	32.1%		32.2	365^th of 497 public elementary schools	26.6%	29	24.6	22.1	33.3	26.9	20.3	23.2	36.0	26.7	36.2	36.2	38.7	37.1	20.2	30.4	32.0	27.7	$13,624	$3,016	$10,608
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	411 North 20th St	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-2661	437	28	15.3	86.3%	179 (41.0%)	13 (3.0%)	169 (38.7%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (15.6%)	19.1	415^th of 495 public elementary schools	16.2%		24.9	393^rd of 497 public elementary schools	20.9%	22	17.2	30.3	15.6	21.6	12.5	26.4	17.2	19.1	14.1	27.6	21.9	21.6	17.2	26.4	21.9	22.0	$11,760	$1,308	$10,452
James R. Tate Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	406 Catcher Road	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3130	459	25	18.3	76.3%	319 (69.5%)	7 (1.5%)	85 (18.5%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.9%)	46.3	280^th of 495 public elementary schools	43.4%		36.8	336^th of 497 public elementary schools	32.4%	56	40.0	33.9	25.4	33.2	35.7	30.9	28.4	31.7	37.1	35.3	44.8	39.0	35.7	32.3	32.8	33.7	$10,791	$901	$9,890
Parkview Elementary School	Public	K-5	619 Parkview	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-8730	437	23	18.8	65.7%	280 (64.1%)	9 (2.1%)	76 (17.4%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (14.6%)	66	159^th of 495 public elementary schools	67.9%		68.9	146^th of 497 public elementary schools	70.6%	13	37.0	43.0	41.8	40.7	37.0	36.7	38.8	37.4	43.8	58.2	56.7	53.0	48.0	51.9	28.4	43.4	$9,710	$662	$9,047
Oliver Springs Elementary School	Public	K-5	505 Northridge Drive East	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3120	441	24	18.1	53.7%	295 (66.9%)	4 (0.9%)	85 (19.3%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (10.4%)	69.5	146^th of 495 public elementary schools	70.5%		77.4	91^st of 497 public elementary schools	81.7%	55	35.6	48.5	43.2	42.4	35.6	41.1	40.9	39.3	50.6	57.4	47.7	51.6	43.8	45.6	45.4	45.0	$9,564	$917	$8,647

Districts nearby

District	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Fort Smith School District	2.81 mi	26	149^th
Institute For The Creative Arts	5.48 mi	1
Future School Of Fort Smith	5.89 mi	1	215^th
Westark Technical Center	5.98 mi	1
Premier High Schools Of Arkansas	6.78 mi	7	231^st

See the top AR Arkansas districts

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.