Bearden Elementary School

Bearden Elementary School in Bearden, AR, is a small, rural school serving 219 students in grades K-6, and it is part of the Bearden School District. The school has historically been low-performing, but recent data shows a significant and encouraging turnaround, with its state ranking jumping from the 19th percentile to the 36th percentile—its best performance in nearly a decade. This upward trend is especially notable given that over 98% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch, a challenge the school is effectively mitigating compared to similar nearby schools.

One of Bearden Elementary's standout strengths is Mathematics, where 40% of students are proficient, outperforming nearby Fairview Elementary School (23%) and Ivory Intermediate School (24.2%). The school also boasts a low student-teacher ratio of 11.2:1, the smallest in the comparison group, allowing for more individualized attention than at Harmony Grove Elementary School (16.2:1). While the school is improving across all subjects, Science remains a critical weakness, with only 29.6% of students proficient—14.4 percentage points below the state average. The 4th grade is a bright spot, achieving proficiency rates above the state average in both English Language Arts and Reading.

Bearden Elementary is achieving its recent gains with a mid-range budget of $13,742 per student, suggesting efficient resource allocation compared to higher-spending but lower-performing schools like Fordyce Elementary Schools ($20,358). The school consistently outperforms its district average across all subjects, making it a relative bright spot within the Bearden School District. For parents, this school offers a promising environment with small class sizes, a focus on math, and a clear trajectory of improvement, though attention to science instruction is needed.