Westwood Elementary School

Westwood Elementary School is a PK-5 public school in the Springdale School District serving 498 students in a high-poverty area, where over 86% of students qualify for free or reduced-price lunch. Despite spending a relatively high $14,166 per student, the school has consistently ranked in the bottom 20% of Arkansas elementary schools over the past decade, earning a 1-star rating for eight consecutive years. Academic performance on state assessments is significantly below both district and state averages across all subjects and grade levels.

What makes Westwood stand out is how it compares to nearby schools with similar challenges. For instance, Walker Elementary School, just 1.55 miles away, has a lower poverty rate (71.57%) and spends less per student ($12,530), yet achieves proficiency rates 10-15 percentage points higher in every subject. Even more striking, Hunt Elementary School serves a population with 57.3% poverty and earns a 4-star rating, while John Tyson Elementary School spends significantly less ($11,594) but achieves nearly double the proficiency rates. This shows that while poverty is a factor, it doesn't have to determine outcomes, and Westwood isn't getting the academic return on its higher investment.

A critical concern is the dramatic drop in performance between 3rd and 5th grade. In the most recent school year, Westwood's 3rd graders scored 29.1% proficient in English Language Arts, but by 5th grade, that number fell to just 17.3%—the lowest among all comparable schools in the area, including those with higher poverty rates. This pattern repeats in reading and science, suggesting a systemic issue with retaining and building skills in the upper elementary grades. There is a glimmer of hope: test scores showed notable improvement over the previous year (ELA went from 20.8% to 24.7%, math from 18.7% to 32.6%). The challenge will be sustaining this growth, especially for 4th and 5th graders, to break out of the 1-star rating cycle.