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Rena Elementary School

Q: Is Rena Elementary School a good school?

Rena Elementary School ranks 178 th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

Public Grades K-5

178^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 491 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 64% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

Rena Elementary School is a K-5 school in Van Buren, AR, serving 414 students as part of the Van Buren School District, a district that ranks in the middle of the pack statewide with a 3-star rating.

Rena Elementary stands out most for its exceptional math performance. In the most recent school year, 64.8% of students were proficient in math—a full 20 percentage points higher than the district average and well above the state average. This strength is consistent across all grades, with 4th graders achieving an extraordinary 78.3% proficiency rate. The school also operates efficiently, spending about $9,607 per student, which is significantly less than some lower-performing schools in the same district. For example, Central Elementary School spends over $4,000 more per student but ranks much lower. While math is a clear strength, science is a relative weakness, with only 39% of students proficient—below the state average of 44%. The school's state ranking has also shown some year-to-year volatility, moving from the 81st percentile a few years ago to the 64th percentile most recently.

Compared to nearby schools in the Fort Smith School District, which are almost universally struggling and have very high poverty rates, Rena Elementary represents a completely different educational reality. It is a high-performing, lower-poverty school that offers a strong, stable option for families. Within the Van Buren district, it sits in the upper-middle tier, outperforming schools like King Elementary School and Central Elementary School while being a solid alternative to top performers like Oliver Springs Elementary School and Parkview Elementary School.

414

Students ?

19.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$9,607

Per pupil spending ?

54.8%

Free/discounted lunch ?

720 Rena Road
Van Buren, AR 72956

(479) 471-3190

District: Van Buren School District

Students who attend Rena Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Northridge Middle School
High:	Van Buren High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

67.4%

Hispanic:

15.2%

Two or more races:

13.3%

See top rated Arkansas elementary schools

Compare Rena Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▼ Ranking trend: Recently slipping — 81st percentile in 2021 → 64th in 2026

Strengths

✓Test scores above the Arkansas average (49% vs 42% meeting standards)

✓Above the Arkansas median (64th percentile)

Worth a look

!Ranking has slipped from its 81st-percentile peak (2021) to 64th (2026)

Students meeting standards (2025-2026) ?

This school49%

District avg41%

Arkansas avg42%

178^th of 491

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Top 36%▲ up 11 pts since 2016

From top 47% (2016) to top 36% (2026)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

3^rd of 6Elementary Schools in the Van Buren School District

123^rd of 251Van Buren 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
2026	64.2	178 of 491	63.7%	★★★☆☆
2025	71.2	131 of 495	73.5%	★★★★☆
2024	62.5	187 of 497	62.4%	★★★☆☆
2023	74.2	120 of 492	75.6%	★★★★☆
2022	75.5	105 of 487	78.4%	★★★★☆
2021	77.5	95 of 496	80.8%	★★★★☆
2019	73.0	114 of 488	76.6%	★★★★☆
2018	61.3	189 of 480	60.6%	★★★☆☆
2017	57.5	201 of 485	58.6%	★★★☆☆
2016	53.6	233 of 494	52.8%	★★★☆☆
2015	44.4	259 of 466	44.4%	★★☆☆☆
2014	56.8	226 of 471	52.0%	★★★☆☆
2013	58.2	227 of 476	52.3%	★★★☆☆
2012	40.6	346 of 468	26.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	41.2	332 of 471	29.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	36.3	347 of 457	24.1%	★☆☆☆☆
2009	50.3	269 of 445	39.6%	★★☆☆☆
2008	55.0	225 of 439	48.7%	★★☆☆☆
2007	47.1	272 of 440	38.2%	★★☆☆☆
2006	56.1	203 of 402	49.5%	★★☆☆☆
2005	58.6	186 of 411	54.7%	★★★☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2025-2026) ?

Mathematics65%+21 vs state

Reading48%+8 vs state

English Language Arts46%+7 vs state

Science39%-5 vs state

★

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Schools Near Rena 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 Science (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 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
Rena Elementary School	Public	K-5	720 Rena Road	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3190	414	21	19.3	54.8%	279 (67.4%)	6 (1.4%)	63 (15.2%)	7 (1.7%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (13.3%)	64.2	178^th of 491 public elementary schools	63.7%		71.2	131^st of 495 public elementary schools	73.5%	47	42.7	55.4	37.1	46.1	44.2	57.8	38.8	47.9	61.8	78.3	50.0	64.8	36.8	41.0	38.7	39.0	$9,607	$596	$9,011
Oliver Springs Elementary School	Public	K-5	505 Northridge Drive East	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3120	441	24	18.1	53.7%	295 (66.9%)	4 (0.9%)	85 (19.3%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (10.4%)	76.2	108^th of 491 public elementary schools	78.0%		69.5	146^th of 495 public elementary schools	70.5%	38	61.7	50.7	44.6	53.0	56.8	52.0	47.7	52.5	64.2	57.2	67.7	62.7	50.6	45.5	47.7	48.0	$9,564	$917	$8,647
Parkview Elementary School	Public	K-5	619 Parkview	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-8730	437	23	18.8	65.7%	280 (64.1%)	9 (2.1%)	76 (17.4%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (14.6%)	69.4	143^rd of 491 public elementary schools	70.9%		66	159^th of 495 public elementary schools	67.9%	16	47.4	57.7	43.8	49.3	47.4	47.9	38.8	44.6	48.7	63.4	51.3	54.1	55.1	67.6	41.3	54.2	$9,710	$662	$9,047
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	913 N 24 St	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-7059	466	25	18.3	75.3%	296 (63.5%)	14 (3.0%)	74 (15.9%)	8 (1.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (14.6%)	38.4	321^st of 491 public elementary schools	34.6%		36.2	336^th of 495 public elementary schools	32.1%	15	28.0	32.2	34.5	31.4	26.5	32.3	32.8	30.3	33.9	45.2	60.7	46.1	32.3	32.2	50.8	38.2	$13,624	$3,016	$10,608
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	411 North 20th St	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-2661	437	28	15.3	86.3%	179 (41.0%)	13 (3.0%)	169 (38.7%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (15.6%)	16.5	435^th of 491 public elementary schools	11.4%		19.1	415^th of 495 public elementary schools	16.2%	20	30.4	31.2	20.8	27.2	26.6	31.2	16.9	24.5	29.1	23.0	24.7	25.8	21.6	21.3	19.5	20.7	$11,760	$1,308	$10,452
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%)	31	369^th of 491 public elementary schools	24.8%		18.9	417^th of 495 public elementary schools	15.8%	48	36.6	33.8	20.5	29.8	38.0	33.8	21.7	30.6	36.6	54.9	25.3	38.2	40.9	33.9	20.5	31.1	$11,686	$1,899	$9,787
Spradling Elementary School	Public	K-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%)	19.4	422^nd of 491 public elementary schools	14.1%		26.1	383^rd of 495 public elementary schools	22.6%	39	25.0	29.2	29.2	27.8	25.0	27.1	27.1	26.5	18.2	23.4	29.7	23.9	25.0	29.2	29.8	28.1	$13,041	$1,606	$11,435
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%)	20.4	417^th of 491 public elementary schools	15.1%		17.6	428^th of 495 public elementary schools	13.5%	11	27.7	35.2	17.9	26.8	31.9	33.3	17.8	27.4	21.3	37.1	19.6	26.2	29.8	31.5	16.0	25.4	$14,863	$2,223	$12,640
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%)	34.9	343^rd of 491 public elementary schools	30.1%		25.3	388^th of 495 public elementary schools	21.6%	45	24.0	33.3	42.7	32.8	25.0	29.3	40.3	31.3	34.4	33.3	57.4	41.5	27.1	33.3	35.4	31.7	$11,773	$1,780	$9,993
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%)	29.4	378^th of 491 public elementary schools	23.0%		33.7	348^th of 495 public elementary schools	29.7%	30	36.8	38.0	30.7	35.5	34.7	32.0	35.9	34.0	32.7	18.0	35.9	28.2	36.8	22.0	23.1	27.5	$14,338	$1,449	$12,890

Frequently Asked Questions about Rena Elementary School

What district is Rena Elementary School in?

Van Buren School District

What schools do graduates of Rena Elementary School attend?

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

Middle : Northridge Middle School
High : Van Buren High School

What is the racial makeup of Rena Elementary School?

Students at Rena Elementary School are 67% White, 15% Hispanic, 13% Two or more races, 2% Asian, 1% African American.

Is Rena Elementary School a good school?

Rena Elementary School ranks 178^th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 3 stars out of 5.

How many students attend Rena Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 414 students attended Rena Elementary School.

Rate Rena Elementary School!

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Schools in Van Buren, AR

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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.