Vera Kilpatrick Elementary School

Vera Kilpatrick Elementary School is a K-5 public school in Texarkana, AR, serving 373 students within the Texarkana School District, a district ranked in the bottom 20% of Arkansas schools.

While Vera Kilpatrick has consistently ranked in the bottom 20th percentile of Arkansas elementary schools for the past decade, it is not the lowest-performing school in its district. It significantly outperforms College Hill Harmony Leadership Academy (ranked in the 6th percentile) in nearly every subject. However, the most striking comparison is with North Heights Community School, located less than a mile away. Both schools serve the same high-poverty population, yet North Heights achieves proficiency rates nearly double or triple those of Vera Kilpatrick in core subjects like Math (56.4% vs. 28.1%) and Reading (49.6% vs. 29.7%). This stark contrast suggests that school-level factors like leadership and instructional quality, rather than spending alone, are key drivers of success. Vera Kilpatrick spends $13,908 per student, but Fairview Elementary School spends even more ($16,957) yet ranks lower (26th percentile).

There is a glimmer of hope in 3rd Grade English Language Arts, where Vera Kilpatrick achieves 41.5% proficiency—slightly above the state average (42.9%) and significantly above its district average (37.5%). However, this progress is not sustained, as 4th and 5th grade scores drop sharply (e.g., 4th Grade ELA falls to 28.8%). Science is a notable weakness, with only 23.8% proficiency, below the district average. The school's rank has remained stagnant between the 16th and 31st percentile for a decade, indicating a need for fundamental change. Nearby schools from other districts, like Genoa Central Elementary School (93rd percentile, 5-star), demonstrate that higher achievement is possible in the region, even with lower per-student spending.