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Howard Elementary School

Q: Is Howard Elementary School a good school?

Howard Elementary School ranks 348 th of 495 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

348^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 495 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 30% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Howard Elementary School is a public elementary school in Fort Smith, Arkansas, serving 253 students in grades PK-5. The school is part of the Fort Smith School District, which is ranked 149 out of 250 districts in the state and has a 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Howard Elementary School consistently ranks in the bottom half of Arkansas elementary schools, with a 1-star or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger, indicating below-average performance. The school's proficiency rates in English Language Arts, Reading, Mathematics, and Science are significantly lower than the district and state averages across all grade levels. For example, in 2024-2025, the school's proficiency rates range from 22.2% to 31.5%, compared to the district's 32.4% to 38.7% and the state's 34.7% to 38.7%. Additionally, Howard Elementary has an extremely high percentage of free and reduced-price lunch recipients, ranging from 91.3% to 95.79% over the past 3 years, indicating a high-poverty student population.

When comparing Howard Elementary School to the nearby schools in the Fort Smith School District, such as Harry C. Morrison Elementary School and Ballman Elementary School, it is clear that Howard is one of the lowest-performing schools in the district. These nearby schools have significantly higher proficiency rates, higher state rankings, and lower poverty rates. The combination of high poverty rates, low spending per student, and high student-teacher ratios at Howard Elementary School may be contributing to the school's low academic performance, but there is an opportunity for improvement through targeted interventions and increased resources.

299

Students ?

18.8

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,338

Per pupil spending ?

92.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

1301 N 8th St
Fort Smith, AR 72901

(479) 783-7382

District: Fort Smith School District

Students who attend Howard Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	William O. Darby Middle School
High:	Northside High School

Racial breakdown:

Hispanic:

63.2%

White:

16.7%

African American:

10.0%

See top rated Arkansas elementary schools

Compare Howard Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 7th percentile in 2015 → 30th in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 23 percentile points since 2015

Worth a look

!Test scores below the Arkansas average (28% vs 36% meeting standards)

!Science scores 16 pts below the Arkansas average

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school28%

District avg33%

Arkansas avg36%

348^th of 495

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 30%▲ up 23 pts since 2015

From bottom 7% (2015) to bottom 30% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

10^th of 18Elementary Schools in the Fort Smith School District

149^th of 250Fort Smith 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	33.7	348 of 495	29.7%	★★☆☆☆
2024	32.7	362 of 497	27.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2023	29.9	370 of 492	24.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	15.6	416 of 487	14.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2021	20.8	403 of 496	18.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	17.0	423 of 488	13.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	14.7	424 of 480	11.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.2	405 of 485	16.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	29.7	390 of 494	21.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	14.2	434 of 466	6.9%	☆☆☆☆☆
2014	18.6	417 of 471	11.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	28.8	380 of 476	20.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	16.6	422 of 468	9.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	15.0	427 of 471	9.3%	☆☆☆☆☆
2010	15.8	413 of 457	9.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	8.4	425 of 445	4.5%	☆☆☆☆☆
2008	4.0	430 of 439	2.1%	☆☆☆☆☆
2007	2.4	433 of 440	1.6%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	5.4	389 of 402	3.2%	☆☆☆☆☆
2005	16.0	365 of 411	11.2%	★☆☆☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2024-2025) ?

English Language Arts32%-3 vs state

Reading30%-5 vs state

Mathematics29%-9 vs state

Science22%-16 vs state

★

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Schools Near Howard 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 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
Howard Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	1301 N 8th St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-7382	299	16	18.8	92.3%	50 (16.7%)	30 (10.0%)	189 (63.2%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	29 (9.7%)	33.7	348^th of 495 public elementary schools	29.7%		32.7	362^nd of 497 public elementary schools	27.2%	14	27.1	39.5	28.5	31.5	29.2	34.9	26.5	30.0	16.7	48.8	24.5	29.3	22.9	30.3	14.3	22.2	$14,338	$1,449	$12,890
Tilles Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	815 N 16th St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 785-5606	343	18	18.9	90.4%	92 (26.8%)	45 (13.1%)	175 (51.0%)	4 (1.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	27 (7.9%)	12	456^th of 495 public elementary schools	7.9%		8.8	475^th of 497 public elementary schools	4.4%	19	14.0	14.6	24.1	17.7	12.0	12.6	18.5	14.5	14.0	18.8	16.7	16.5	18.0	16.6	11.2	15.1	$12,663	$1,720	$10,943
Sunnymede Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4201 N O St	Fort Smith	72904	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-6327	510	27	18.7	91.4%	70 (13.7%)	35 (6.9%)	323 (63.3%)	21 (4.1%)	1 (0.2%)	0 (0.0%)	60 (11.8%)	25.3	388^th of 495 public elementary schools	21.6%		22	412^th of 497 public elementary schools	17.1%	24	24.4	26.2	21.0	23.7	25.7	29.7	19.8	25.0	35.2	17.9	22.1	24.6	31.1	22.6	21.0	24.5	$11,773	$1,780	$9,993
Park Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4111 Park Ave	Fort Smith	72903	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-4506	387	20	19.3	89.9%	79 (20.4%)	42 (10.9%)	210 (54.3%)	7 (1.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	49 (12.7%)	21.3	404^th of 495 public elementary schools	18.4%		18	432^nd of 497 public elementary schools	13.1%	28	15.1	30.3	28.3	24.0	16.6	25.0	30.2	23.4	16.7	26.7	24.5	22.3	12.1	26.8	15.1	17.7	$13,603	$2,816	$10,787
Ballman Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2601 S Q St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-1280	286	15	18.7	67.1%	144 (50.3%)	20 (7.0%)	79 (27.6%)	5 (1.7%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	38 (13.3%)	64.7	164^th of 495 public elementary schools	66.9%		61.2	200^th of 497 public elementary schools	59.8%	36	28.0	47.0	57.8	43.8	30.0	47.0	51.1	42.4	38.0	44.9	53.3	45.2	30.0	46.9	48.9	41.7	$13,689	$1,511	$12,178
Sutton Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	5001 Kelley Hwy	Fort Smith	72904	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 785-1778	411	27	15.0	91.5%	67 (16.3%)	40 (9.7%)	236 (57.4%)	28 (6.8%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	40 (9.7%)	17.6	428^th of 495 public elementary schools	13.5%		13.7	451^st of 497 public elementary schools	9.3%	23	25.7	21.4	18.7	22.1	24.2	24.6	20.3	23.1	17.1	21.3	17.0	18.4	22.9	14.8	10.2	16.3	$14,863	$2,223	$12,640
Spradling Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	4949 Spradling Ave	Fort Smith	72904	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-8048	307	17	18.3	94.5%	48 (15.6%)	31 (10.1%)	192 (62.5%)	13 (4.2%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	23 (7.5%)	26.1	383^rd of 495 public elementary schools	22.6%		30.7	373^rd of 497 public elementary schools	24.9%	10	24.5	34.0	12.5	23.2	26.6	36.0	19.6	27.1	22.4	24.0	25.0	23.9	24.4	30.0	19.6	24.6	$13,041	$1,606	$11,435
Harry C. Morrison Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	3415 Newlon Rd	Fort Smith	72904	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 782-7045	493	26	19.1	90.3%	81 (16.4%)	79 (16.0%)	278 (56.4%)	16 (3.2%)	8 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	30 (6.1%)	18.9	417^th of 495 public elementary schools	15.8%		15.1	444^th of 497 public elementary schools	10.7%	27	18.1	11.4	25.3	18.2	22.3	19.0	28.0	23.0	22.3	21.5	17.3	20.3	16.6	19.0	26.7	20.8	$11,686	$1,899	$9,787
Fairview Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2400 S Dallas St	Fort Smith	72901	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 783-3214	582	32	17.9	80.6%	236 (40.5%)	43 (7.4%)	178 (30.6%)	10 (1.7%)	5 (0.9%)	0 (0.0%)	110 (18.9%)	42.7	298^th of 495 public elementary schools	39.8%		52.7	237^th of 497 public elementary schools	52.3%	61	28.5	32.5	51.2	37.0	29.6	28.5	45.2	34.2	28.6	34.6	30.9	31.2	29.5	25.3	30.9	28.6	$11,809	$1,299	$10,510
Bonneville Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	2500 South Waldron Rd	Fort Smith	72903	Sebastian County	Fort Smith School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 478-3161	287	15	19.1	74.6%	114 (39.7%)	38 (13.2%)	65 (22.6%)	23 (8.0%)	4 (1.4%)	0 (0.0%)	43 (15.0%)	61	190^th of 495 public elementary schools	61.6%		64.9	170^th of 497 public elementary schools	65.8%	20	34.1	46.4	44.0	40.8	36.1	46.4	42.0	40.8	33.4	50.0	40.0	39.7	39.6	46.4	34.0	38.9	$12,206	$1,033	$11,173

Frequently Asked Questions about Howard Elementary School

Is Howard Elementary School a good school?

Howard Elementary School ranks 348^th of 495 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is Howard Elementary School in?

Fort Smith School District

What is the racial makeup of Howard Elementary School?

Students at Howard Elementary School are 63% Hispanic, 17% White, 10% African American, 10% Two or more races.

How many students attend Howard Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 299 students attended Howard Elementary School.

What schools do graduates of Howard Elementary School attend?

Students who attend Howard Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : William O. Darby Middle School
High : Northside High School

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Schools in Fort Smith, AR

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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.