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Walnut Ridge Elementary School

Public Grades PK, KG-6

396^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 495 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 20% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Walnut Ridge Elementary School is a public elementary school serving 560 students in grades K-6 in Walnut Ridge, Arkansas. The school is part of the Lawrence County School District, which is ranked 148 out of 250 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating.

Walnut Ridge Elementary has consistently underperformed compared to state and district averages on standardized tests. In the 2024-2025 school year, only 21.3% of students were proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to the state average of 34.7%. The school struggles particularly in math, with only 23.2% of students proficient or better, compared to 38.7% statewide. Walnut Ridge's reading scores are also low, with only 23.6% proficient or better compared to 35.3% across Arkansas. The school has high rates of students qualifying for free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 57.59% to 67.14% over the past few years, indicating a high level of economic disadvantage among the student population.

Interestingly, nearby schools like Math & Science Magnet School, Westside Elementary, and Hillcrest Elementary generally outperform Walnut Ridge Elementary on test scores, despite serving similar demographics. For example, Hillcrest Elementary, which is 17 miles away, has significantly higher proficiency rates in English Language Arts (44.9% vs 21.3%), Math (51.9% vs 23.2%), and Science (56.5% vs 23.6%) compared to Walnut Ridge. However, the Imboden Area Charter School, which is 16 miles away, has lower test scores than Walnut Ridge across the board, indicating Walnut Ridge is performing better than some nearby options.

630

Students ?

16.4

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,058

Per pupil spending ?

61.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

508 E Free
Walnut Ridge, AR 72476

(870) 886-3482

District: Lawrence County School District

Students who attend Walnut Ridge Elementary School usually attend:

High:

Walnut Ridge High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

89.7%

Hispanic:

5.2%

Two or more races:

3.3%

See top rated Arkansas elementary schools

Compare Walnut Ridge Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 35th percentile in 2015 → 20th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arkansas average (23% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (20th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 15 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school23%

District avg28%

Arkansas avg36%

396^th of 495

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 20%▼ down 15 pts since 2015

From bottom 35% (2015) to bottom 20% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

148^th of 250Lawrence County School District among Arkansas districts

Statewide rank percentile over time (100 = the top-ranked school in the state; click a legend item to add a student group)

Show full rank history (all student groups)

All Students

Year	Avg score	Statewide rank	Arkansas percentile	Rating
2025	23.7	396 of 495	20.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	35.1	348 of 497	30.0%	★★☆☆☆
2023	45.5	307 of 492	37.6%	★★☆☆☆
2022	37.5	330 of 487	32.2%	★★☆☆☆
2021	35.2	348 of 496	29.8%	★★☆☆☆
2019	42.7	313 of 488	35.9%	★★☆☆☆
2018	46.7	276 of 480	42.5%	★★☆☆☆
2017	39.3	322 of 485	33.6%	★★☆☆☆
2016	39.7	340 of 494	31.2%	★★☆☆☆
2015	38.1	302 of 466	35.2%	★★☆☆☆
2014	48.3	290 of 471	38.4%	★★☆☆☆
2013	52.0	269 of 476	43.5%	★★☆☆☆
2012	57.9	239 of 468	48.9%	★★☆☆☆
2011	49.5	282 of 471	40.1%	★★☆☆☆
2010	50.3	278 of 457	39.2%	★★☆☆☆
2009	70.9	124 of 445	72.1%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2024-2025) ?

Reading24%-12 vs state

Science24%-14 vs state

Mathematics23%-16 vs state

English Language Arts21%-13 vs state

★

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Schools Near Walnut Ridge Elementary School

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 6th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading 5th Grade	ATLAS Reading 6th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 5th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 6th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science 6th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Walnut Ridge Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	508 E Free	Walnut Ridge	72476	Lawrence County	Lawrence County School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 886-3482	630	38	16.4	61.1%	565 (89.7%)	4 (0.6%)	33 (5.2%)	2 (0.3%)	2 (0.3%)	3 (0.5%)	21 (3.3%)	23.7	396^th of 495 public elementary schools	20.0%		35.1	348^th of 497 public elementary schools	30.0%	48	12.2	19.3	21.2	33.8	21.3	13.4	20.5	23.9	37.8	23.6	14.7	24.3	22.5	32.4	23.2	23.2	24.4	25.3	21.6	23.6	$11,058	$1,771	$9,288
Hoxie Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	602 SW Hartigan	Hoxie	72433	Lawrence County	Hoxie School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 886-2401	500	28	18.1	100.0%	470 (94.0%)	3 (0.6%)	10 (2.0%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	15 (3.0%)	33.7	349^th of 495 public elementary schools	29.5%		40.7	309^th of 497 public elementary schools	37.8%	40	36.3	22.0	25.5	30.5	28.6	40.0	22.1	27.5	30.5	29.9	23.7	17.0	23.5	28.8	23.2	58.2	22.0	13.8	27.1	30.3	$11,444	$1,139	$10,305
Pocahontas Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	2864 Thomasville	Pocahontas	72455	Randolph County	Pocahontas School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 892-4573	703	39	17.9	74.5%	545 (77.5%)	4 (0.6%)	28 (4.0%)	2 (0.3%)	4 (0.6%)	87 (12.4%)	33 (4.7%)	30.5	368^th of 495 public elementary schools	25.7%		43.8	292^nd of 497 public elementary schools	41.2%	76	24.2				24.2	24.2				24.2	35.3				35.3	25.0				25.0	$10,801	$1,781	$9,020
Imboden Area Charter School	Public, Charter	K-8	605 W. Third St	Imboden	72434	Lawrence County	Imboden Charter School District	Yes	No	No	Yes	(870) 869-3015	70	5	14.0	14.3%	66 (94.3%)	1 (1.4%)	1 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)								(n/a)					26.0					43.4					21.7					29.2	$15,563	$1,999	$13,564
Sloan-Hendrix Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-6	2 Greyhound Cir.	Imboden	72434	Lawrence County	Sloan Hendrix School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 869-2101	456	28	16.3	71.3%	440 (96.5%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (2.0%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	6 (1.3%)	47.9	272^nd of 495 public elementary schools	45.1%		51	251^st of 497 public elementary schools	49.5%	21	21.4	33.9	38.8	29.7	30.7	21.4	35.5	32.6	31.2	30.3	32.2	57.6	42.9	40.6	43.4	34.0	30.6	42.8	39.1	36.4	$11,290	$1,531	$9,759
Westside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	1834 Hwy 91 West	Jonesboro	72416	Craighead County	WESTSIDE CONSOLIDATED SCHOOL DISTRICT (Craighead)	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 935-7501	756	42	18.0	55.0%	692 (91.5%)	19 (2.5%)	11 (1.5%)	3 (0.4%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	26 (3.4%)	64.7	165^th of 495 public elementary schools	66.7%		60.7	203^rd of 497 public elementary schools	59.2%	38	38.4	44.4			41.6	38.3	45.9			42.2	45.9	41.6			43.7	45.8	43.8			44.8	$9,756	$907	$8,849
Math & Science Magnet School	Public, Magnet	1-6	213 E Thomas Green Rd	Jonesboro	72401	Craighead County	Jonesboro School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(870) 933-5845	499	32	15.4	100.0%	94 (18.8%)	288 (57.7%)	94 (18.8%)	2 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	21 (4.2%)	10.2	466^th of 495 public elementary schools	5.9%		14.8	446^th of 497 public elementary schools	10.3%	20	10.2	11.8	5.6	10.7	9.7	13.7	10.5	9.8	20.0	13.5	12.5	30.3	16.9	21.4	20.0	13.7	10.5	11.3	20.0	13.9	$13,549	$2,705	$10,844

Frequently Asked Questions about Walnut Ridge Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of Walnut Ridge Elementary School?

Students at Walnut Ridge Elementary School are 90% White, 5% Hispanic, 3% Two or more races.

What district is Walnut Ridge Elementary School in?

Lawrence County School District

What schools do graduates of Walnut Ridge Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Walnut Ridge Elementary School usually go on to attend:

High : Walnut Ridge High School

Is Walnut Ridge Elementary School a good school?

Walnut Ridge Elementary School ranks in the bottom 20.0% of Arkansas elementary schools.

How many students attend Walnut Ridge Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 630 students attended Walnut Ridge Elementary School.

Rate Walnut Ridge Elementary School!

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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.