Horatio Elementary School

Horatio Elementary School serves 313 students in grades K-6 in the small town of Horatio, Arkansas, and is part of the Horatio School District, which has a 2-star rating and ranks in the middle of Arkansas districts.

This school has a unique "Jekyll and Hyde" academic profile that sets it apart from nearby schools. Its standout strength is mathematics, where 57.4% of students are proficient—13.3 percentage points above the state average. This math success is consistent across most grade levels, with 3rd graders scoring 66.6% proficiency (21.1 points above the state average) and 6th graders at 56.5% (11.4 points above). However, the school struggles significantly in English Language Arts (34.8% proficiency) and Science (35.0% proficiency), both well below state averages. This creates a stark contrast with nearby Oscar Hamilton Elementary School, which achieves 51% proficiency in ELA and 66.9% in Science, and Dequeen Elementary School, which posts 48.9% in ELA and 53.2% in Science. The gap between Horatio's math and science performance is a massive 22.4 percentage points.

Despite serving a high-poverty population (over 80% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch), Horatio's math achievement is remarkable and suggests a highly effective math curriculum, particularly in lower grades. However, the school has experienced a recent decline, dropping from the 57th percentile in 2024-2025 to the 44th percentile in 2025-2026. This downward trend is concerning, especially given that the school spends a significant $12,484 per student—higher than Oscar Hamilton Elementary ($11,957) and comparable to Dequeen Elementary ($12,305)—yet produces lower overall outcomes. The key challenge for Horatio is replicating its math success in ELA and science to create a more balanced academic profile.