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Southside Elementary School

Q: Is Southside Elementary School a good school?

Southside Elementary School ranks 155 th of 494 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-3

155^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 494 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 69% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Southside Elementary School in Southside, AR, serves 852 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 3rd grade and is part of the Southside School District (Independence), which ranks in the 78th percentile of Arkansas districts. This school stands out for its exceptional performance in Math and Science, with 56.3% of students proficient in Math and 58.3% in Science—well above state averages of 44.1% and 44%, respectively. While it has a high student-teacher ratio of 20.2:1 and moderate spending of $14,686 per student, it achieves strong results, making it an efficient choice for families focused on early elementary education.

Compared to nearby schools, Southside’s strengths are clear. For instance, Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School, just 8 miles away, excels in English Language Arts (51.4% proficiency) but trails Southside in Math and Science. Meanwhile, Midland Elementary School, 10 miles away, has a 100% free/reduced lunch rate and spends $19,704 per student, yet its Math proficiency is only 25.6%—a stark contrast to Southside’s 56.3%. This shows that Southside’s model delivers high performance with fewer resources, despite larger class sizes.

Southside’s focus on grades PK-3 is unique among peers like Cave City Elementary School and Concord Elementary School, which serve through 5th or 6th grade. The school has shown resilience, rebounding from a dip in 2023-2024 to post its best Math and Science scores in 2025-2026. For parents, this school offers a strong STEM foundation, though improving English Language Arts and Reading scores could make it even more competitive with top performers like Sulphur Rock.

852

Students ?

20.2

Student/teacher ratio ?

$14,686

Per pupil spending ?

52.1%

Free/discounted lunch ?

2460 Batesville Blvd
Southside, AR 72501

(870) 251-2661

District: Southside School District (Independence)

Students who attend Southside Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Southside Junior High School
	Southside Middle School
High:	Southside Charter High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

91.4%

Hispanic:

4.2%

Two or more races:

2.2%

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Compare Southside Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 86th percentile in 2023 → 69th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arkansas average (51% vs 41% meeting standards)

✓Above the Arkansas median (69th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 86th-percentile peak (2023) to 69th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school51%

District avg45%

Arkansas avg41%

155^th of 494

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Top 31%▲ up 13 pts since 2016

From top 44% (2016) to top 31% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

56^th of 254Southside School District (Independence) 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
2026	67.9	155 of 494	68.6%	★★★☆☆
2025	61.1	187 of 495	62.2%	★★★☆☆
2024	66.5	158 of 497	68.2%	★★★☆☆
2023	82.3	67 of 492	86.4%	★★★★☆
2022	69.4	136 of 487	72.1%	★★★★☆
2021	61.0	201 of 496	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2019	64.1	186 of 488	61.9%	★★★☆☆
2018	45.6	286 of 480	40.4%	★★☆☆☆
2017	53.9	225 of 485	53.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	55.4	218 of 494	55.9%	★★★☆☆
2014	54.4	239 of 471	49.3%	★★☆☆☆
2013	66.0	161 of 476	66.2%	★★★☆☆
2012	54.8	256 of 468	45.3%	★★☆☆☆
2011	80.7	53 of 471	88.7%	★★★★☆
2010	73.3	101 of 457	77.9%	★★★★☆
2009	66.4	161 of 445	63.8%	★★★☆☆
2008	63.9	178 of 439	59.5%	★★★☆☆
2007	58.9	199 of 440	54.8%	★★★☆☆
2006	46.8	258 of 402	35.8%	★★☆☆☆
2005	53.8	219 of 411	46.7%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?

Science58%+14 vs state

Mathematics56%+12 vs state

English Language Arts44%+5 vs state

Reading44%+3 vs state

★

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Schools Near Southside Elementary School

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2026)					ATLAS Reading (2026)					ATLAS Mathematics (2026)					ATLAS Algebra (2026)					ATLAS Geometry (2026)					ATLAS Science (2026)					ATLAS Biology (2026)					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 (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	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 Algebra 3rd Grade	ATLAS Algebra 4th Grade	ATLAS Algebra 5th Grade	ATLAS Algebra 6th Grade	ATLAS Algebra All Grades	ATLAS Geometry 3rd Grade	ATLAS Geometry 4th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 5th Grade	ATLAS Geometry 6th Grade	ATLAS Geometry All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science 6th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	ATLAS Biology 3rd Grade	ATLAS Biology 4th Grade	ATLAS Biology 5th Grade	ATLAS Biology 6th Grade	ATLAS Biology All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Southside Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-3	2460 Batesville Blvd	Southside	72501	Independence County	Southside School District (Independence)	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 251-2661	852	42	20.2	52.1%	779 (91.4%)	11 (1.3%)	36 (4.2%)	2 (0.2%)	1 (0.1%)	4 (0.5%)	19 (2.2%)	67.9	155^th of 494 public elementary schools	68.6%		61.1	187^th of 495 public elementary schools	62.2%	32	44.4				44.4	43.7				43.7	56.3				56.3											58.3				58.3						$14,686	$3,460	$11,226
Eagle Mountain Magnet Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	600 Eagle Mountain Blvd.	Batesville	72501	Independence County	Batesville School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(870) 698-9141	905	36	25.2	58.8%	482 (53.3%)	19 (2.1%)	327 (36.1%)	22 (2.4%)	1 (0.1%)	9 (1.0%)	45 (5.0%)	58.2	207^th of 494 public elementary schools	58.1%		61.8	180^th of 495 public elementary schools	63.6%	27	30.6	49.5	40.6		41.4	33.3	46.5	40.6		40.9	45.8	56.4	53.1		52.3											38.9	47.5	50.0		45.6						$11,177	$1,187	$9,990
West Magnet Elementary School	Public, Magnet	K-5	850 Hill Street	Batesville	72501	Independence County	Batesville School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(870) 793-9878	599	34	17.6	81.6%	294 (49.1%)	27 (4.5%)	229 (38.2%)	5 (0.8%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (1.5%)	35 (5.8%)	38.3	325^th of 494 public elementary schools	34.2%		36.9	331^st of 495 public elementary schools	33.1%	6	29.2	30.9	39.1		32.9	29.2	28.7	40.2		32.5	36.5	42.6	44.8		41.2											31.3	39.4	42.5		37.5						$11,809	$1,644	$10,164
Sulphur Rock Magnet Elementary School	Public, Magnet	PK, KG-5	480 N Main St	Batesville	72579	Independence County	Batesville School District	No	Yes	No	Yes	(870) 799-3149	333	20	16.7	45.0%	284 (85.3%)	9 (2.7%)	25 (7.5%)	2 (0.6%)	1 (0.3%)	2 (0.6%)	10 (3.0%)	80.2	80^th of 494 public elementary schools	83.8%		66.8	154^th of 495 public elementary schools	68.9%	74	45.7	55.6	52.8		51.4	45.7	47.2	52.8		48.6	82.9	63.9	66.7		71.0											71.4	50.0	55.6		58.9						$17,408	$1,520	$15,888
Cedar Ridge Elementary School	Public	K-5	3549 Cord Road	Newark	72562	Independence County	Cedar Ridge School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 201-2577	263	22	11.9	98.9%	245 (93.2%)	0 (0.0%)	9 (3.4%)	0 (0.0%)	1 (0.4%)	0 (0.0%)	8 (3.0%)	42.4	298^th of 494 public elementary schools	39.7%		60.1	196^th of 495 public elementary schools	60.4%	102	28.9	38.5	42.2		36.9	26.3	35.9	46.7		36.9	26.3	38.5	35.6		33.6											36.8	46.2	42.2		41.8						$16,961	$2,712	$14,249
Midland Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-7	3900 Floral Rd	Floral	72534	Independence County	Midland School District	No	No	No	Yes	(501) 345-2413	291	20	14.5	100.0%	272 (93.5%)	2 (0.7%)	8 (2.7%)	1 (0.3%)	0 (0.0%)	2 (0.7%)	6 (2.1%)	29.1	383^rd of 494 public elementary schools	22.5%		29.8	369^th of 495 public elementary schools	25.5%	14	25.0	25.8	17.6	37.5	27.1	21.4	22.6	20.6	42.5	27.8	28.6	6.5	29.4	35.0	25.6											35.7	29.0	44.1	45.0	39.1						$19,704	$4,250	$15,454
Concord Elementary School	Public	K-6	10920 Heber Springs Road North	Concord	72523	Cleburne County	Concord School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 668-3757	197	16	12.3	67.5%	193 (98.0%)	1 (0.5%)	3 (1.5%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	0 (0.0%)	58.1	208^th of 494 public elementary schools	57.9%		42.5	299^th of 495 public elementary schools	39.6%	91	48.3	29.4	38.5	48.5	42.9	51.7	29.4	46.2	51.5	46.7	48.3	23.5	42.3	51.5	43.8											65.5	41.2	26.9	39.4	43.8						$17,759	$3,417	$14,343
Cave City Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	711 N. Main	Cave City	72521	Sharp County	Cave City School District	No	No	No	Yes	(870) 283-5393	605	40	15.2	75.5%	560 (92.6%)	19 (3.1%)	13 (2.1%)	4 (0.7%)	6 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	3 (0.5%)	59.2	203^rd of 494 public elementary schools	58.9%		68.5	149^th of 495 public elementary schools	69.9%	54	54.3	33.7	49.4		45.2	55.6	32.6	49.4		45.2	60.5	31.5	36.4		42.5											45.7	46.7	53.2		48.4						$12,797	$2,373	$10,423

Frequently Asked Questions about Southside Elementary School

Is Southside Elementary School a good school?

Southside Elementary School ranks 155^th of 494 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

What district is Southside Elementary School in?

Southside School District (Independence)

What schools do graduates of Southside Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Southside Junior High School
Middle : Southside Middle School
High : Southside Charter High School

How many students attend Southside Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 852 students attended Southside Elementary School.

What is the racial makeup of Southside Elementary School?

Students at Southside Elementary School are 91% White, 4% Hispanic, 2% Two or more races, 1% African American.

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Latest Arkansas data All new data »

2025–26 ATLAS test scoresJul 13, 2026

2024–25 graduation ratesMar 5, 2026

2019–20 through 2023–24 school spending dataJan 6, 2026

2017–18 through 2024–25 dropout ratesJan 6, 2026

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.