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Ellen Smith Elementary School

Public Grades K-4

373^rd

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 495 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 25% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Ellen Smith Elementary School is a public elementary school in Conway, Arkansas, serving 454 students in grades K-4. The school is part of the Conway School District, which is ranked 79 out of 250 districts in the state.

Ellen Smith Elementary School has consistently underperformed compared to the district and state averages in academic proficiency. In the 2024-2025 school year, the school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, and Science were all significantly lower than the district and state averages. This trend has been observed over the past several years, with the school's ranking among Arkansas elementary schools declining from 53rd in 2014-2015 to 373rd in 2024-2025. Additionally, the school has a high percentage of students receiving free or reduced-price lunch, ranging from 54.4% in 2021-2022 to 64.76% in 2023-2024, which is significantly higher than nearby schools like Woodrow Cummins Elementary (38.62%) and Julia Lee Moore Elementary (45.3%). The school also has a relatively high student-teacher ratio, ranging from 17.2 to 17.5 over the past few years, which is higher than some of the higher-performing nearby schools.

The data reveals a stark contrast between the performance of Ellen Smith Elementary School and some of the higher-performing schools in the same district, such as Woodrow Cummins Elementary, Julia Lee Moore Elementary, and Carolyn Lewis Elementary. These schools consistently outperform Ellen Smith Elementary School in terms of test scores, state rankings, and other key metrics. The high percentage of economically disadvantaged students at Ellen Smith Elementary School may be a contributing factor to its lower academic performance, and targeted interventions and additional resources could potentially help to improve the school's outcomes.

461

Students ?

16.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$11,593

Per pupil spending ?

63.6%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1601 S. Donaghey St
Conway, AR 72034

(501) 450-4815

District: Conway School District

Students who attend Ellen Smith Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Bob Courtway Middle School
High:	Conway High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

39.3%

African American:

31.2%

Hispanic:

20.4%

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Compare Ellen Smith Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Declining — 89th percentile in 2015 → 25th in 2025

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arkansas average (26% vs 36% meeting standards)

!In the lower quartile statewide (25th percentile)

!Ranking has slipped — down 64 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school26%

District avg41%

Arkansas avg36%

373^rd of 495

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 25%▼ down 64 pts since 2015

From top 11% (2015) to bottom 25% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

8^th of 9Elementary Schools in the Conway School District

79^th of 250Conway 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	28.6	373 of 495	24.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2024	65.3	166 of 497	66.6%	★★★☆☆
2023	75.4	114 of 492	76.8%	★★★★☆
2022	60.9	195 of 487	60.0%	★★★☆☆
2021	54.3	248 of 496	50.0%	★★★☆☆
2019	57.8	224 of 488	54.1%	★★★☆☆
2018	73.2	113 of 480	76.5%	★★★★☆
2017	50.3	249 of 485	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2016	69.1	121 of 494	75.5%	★★★★☆
2015	83.1	53 of 466	88.6%	★★★★☆
2014	86.4	26 of 471	94.5%	★★★★★
2013	84.7	27 of 476	94.3%	★★★★★
2012	88.6	7 of 468	98.5%	★★★★★
2011	89.2	9 of 471	98.1%	★★★★★
2010	87.6	17 of 457	96.3%	★★★★★
2009	91.0	9 of 445	98.0%	★★★★★
2008	84.2	37 of 439	91.6%	★★★★★
2007	82.3	49 of 440	88.9%	★★★★☆
2006	88.7	19 of 402	95.3%	★★★★★
2005	78.6	58 of 411	85.9%	★★★★☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts29%-6 vs state

Reading27%-8 vs state

Science25%-13 vs state

Mathematics24%-15 vs state

★

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Schools Near Ellen Smith 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 All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Ellen Smith Elementary School	Public	K-4	1601 S. Donaghey St	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4815	461	27	16.8	63.6%	181 (39.3%)	144 (31.2%)	94 (20.4%)	4 (0.9%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (8.0%)	28.6	373^rd of 495 public elementary schools	24.6%		65.3	166^th of 497 public elementary schools	66.6%	207	17.5	42.3	29.1	17.5	37.6	26.9	16.5	31.7	23.6	16.4	34.1	24.7	$11,593	$1,786	$9,808
Marguerite Vann Elementary School	Public	K-4	2845 Carl Stuart Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4870	359	22	16.0	70.8%	135 (37.6%)	126 (35.1%)	52 (14.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	44 (12.3%)	28.4	375^th of 495 public elementary schools	24.2%		39.4	319^th of 497 public elementary schools	35.8%	56	19.4	36.1	27.8	22.2	41.7	31.9	19.4	23.6	21.6	23.6	26.4	25.0	$12,542	$1,188	$11,354
Carolyn Lewis Elementary School	Public	K-4	1805 Military Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4835	514	30	17.3	54.5%	230 (44.7%)	167 (32.5%)	52 (10.1%)	9 (1.8%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (10.7%)	80.2	82^nd of 495 public elementary schools	83.4%		80.2	78^th of 497 public elementary schools	84.3%	4	49.1	53.4	51.1	48.1	55.7	51.5	44.4	54.5	49.0	45.3	62.5	53.1	$11,164	$1,159	$10,005
Ida Burns Elementary School	Public	K-4	1201 Donaghey Ave	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4825	384	23	17.0	70.3%	172 (44.8%)	129 (33.6%)	45 (11.7%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	37 (9.6%)	60.9	193^rd of 495 public elementary schools	61.0%		64	175^th of 497 public elementary schools	64.8%	18	41.9	46.2	43.9	41.9	40.0	41.0	36.5	45.4	40.7	41.9	36.4	39.3	$13,365	$1,291	$12,074
Jim Stone Elementary School	Public	K-4	4255 College Ave	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4808	357	22	15.9	50.7%	173 (48.5%)	77 (21.6%)	67 (18.8%)	9 (2.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	31 (8.7%)	59.8	199^th of 495 public elementary schools	59.8%		66.6	156^th of 497 public elementary schools	68.6%	43	38.0	40.3	39.0	41.8	40.3	41.1	38.0	44.8	41.1	45.6	37.3	41.8	$13,142	$1,361	$11,781
Julia Lee Moore Elementary School	Public	K-4	1301 Country Club Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4830	328	22	15.0	40.5%	200 (61.0%)	69 (21.0%)	16 (4.9%)	3 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (12.2%)	88.4	46^th of 495 public elementary schools	90.7%		94	22^nd of 497 public elementary schools	95.6%	24	56.6	53.6	55.2	60.5	59.2	59.9	55.3	59.2	57.2	53.9	56.3	55.1	$13,210	$1,212	$11,998
Preston & Florence Mattison Elementary School	Public	K-4	2001 Florence Mattison Drive	Conway	72032	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-4820	417	25	16.9	70.5%	151 (36.2%)	117 (28.1%)	94 (22.5%)	4 (1.0%)	2 (0.5%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (11.8%)	55.3	227^th of 495 public elementary schools	54.1%		51	252^nd of 497 public elementary schools	49.3%	25	37.7	49.4	43.9	35.1	51.7	43.9	33.8	34.1	33.9	32.5	36.5	34.5	$12,297	$1,532	$10,765
Theodore Jones Elementary School	Public	K-4	1800 Freyaldenhoven Ln	Conway	72032	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 450-6645	491	27	17.9	65.0%	163 (33.2%)	204 (41.5%)	64 (13.0%)	6 (1.2%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	53 (10.8%)	40.1	313^th of 495 public elementary schools	36.8%		52.1	245^th of 497 public elementary schools	50.7%	68	30.4	39.6	34.8	28.5	37.4	32.6	28.7	36.3	32.3	30.7	29.7	30.2	$10,924	$1,378	$9,546
Woodrow Cummins Elementary School	Public	K-4	1400 Padgett Rd	Conway	72034	Faulkner County	Conway School District	No	No	No	No	(501) 513-4417	450	25	17.9	36.9%	255 (56.7%)	78 (17.3%)	66 (14.7%)	19 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	32 (7.1%)	80	84^th of 495 public elementary schools	83.0%		87.2	42^nd of 497 public elementary schools	91.5%	42	47.3	51.0	49.2	45.7	48.1	46.9	60.8	57.8	59.3	53.3	46.0	49.5	$10,890	$753	$10,137
Mayflower Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-4	7 Ashmore Drive	Mayflower	72106	Faulkner County	Mayflower School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 470-0387	363	28	12.9	70.5%	285 (78.5%)	21 (5.8%)	20 (5.5%)	2 (0.6%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	35 (9.6%)	33	352^nd of 495 public elementary schools	28.9%		42	300^th of 497 public elementary schools	39.6%	52	35.6	21.6	28.6	33.9	23.3	28.6	37.3	20.0	28.5	33.9	23.3	28.5	$11,904	$1,611	$10,293

Frequently Asked Questions about Ellen Smith Elementary School

What schools do graduates of Ellen Smith Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Ellen Smith Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Bob Courtway Middle School
High : Conway High School

What district is Ellen Smith Elementary School in?

Conway School District

What is the racial makeup of Ellen Smith Elementary School?

Students at Ellen Smith Elementary School are 39% White, 31% African American, 20% Hispanic, 8% Two or more races.

Is Ellen Smith Elementary School a good school?

Ellen Smith Elementary School ranks in the bottom 24.6% of Arkansas elementary schools.

How many students attend Ellen Smith Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 461 students attended Ellen Smith Elementary School.

Rate Ellen Smith 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.