Evening Star Elementary School

Evening Star Elementary School in Bentonville, AR, is a K-4 school with 716 students that is part of the top-ranked Bentonville School District (ranked 7th in Arkansas). This school is an academic powerhouse, consistently earning a 5-star rating and achieving the #1 rank in the state for the 2025-2026 school year. Its test scores are exceptional, with 84.7% proficiency in Mathematics and 80.2% in Science—roughly double the state average and significantly higher than even other high-performing Bentonville schools like Willowbrook Elementary School (79.1% Math proficiency).

One of the most notable features of Evening Star is its remarkably low Free/Reduced Lunch (FRL) rate of just 3.35%, which is less than half the rate of the next closest Bentonville school (Willowbrook at 6.41%). This metric strongly correlates with the school's high performance, indicating a student population with significant socioeconomic advantages. The school's success is also reflected in its consistent top-tier state ranking over the last six years, with its lowest rank being 9th in the state. In contrast, other top performers like Janie Darr Elementary School (Rogers) and Founders Classical Academies Of Arkansas Rogers have shown more volatility in their rankings.

Interestingly, Evening Star has the lowest per-student spending ($10,056) among schools with available data, yet achieves the highest test scores. Schools with higher spending, like Bellview Elementary ($13,153) and Willis Shaw Elementary School ($12,394), have significantly lower academic outcomes. This suggests that the primary driver of Evening Star's success is not financial input, but rather the socioeconomic and cultural capital of its community. The school is part of a cluster of elite Bentonville elementary schools—including Central Park At Morning Star and Willowbrook—that all rank in the top 20 in the state, creating a highly competitive and high-achieving educational environment within the district.