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James R. Tate Elementary School

Q: Is James R. Tate Elementary School a good school?

James R. Tate Elementary School ranks 280 th of 495 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

Public Grades PK, KG-5

280^th

SchoolDigger Rank ?

of 495 Arkansas Elementary Schools

Better than 43% of Arkansas elementary schools

Summary

James R. Tate Elementary School is a public elementary school serving grades PK-5 in Van Buren, Arkansas, with 466 students. The school is part of the Van Buren School District, which is ranked 102 out of 250 districts in the state and has a 3-star rating from SchoolDigger.

While James R. Tate Elementary School has a higher spending per student ($10,087) compared to other Van Buren district schools, it consistently underperforms on standardized tests, with only 33.2% of students proficient or better in English Language Arts, compared to 37.2% for the district and 34.7% for the state. The school has a low statewide ranking, placing between 280-412 out of around 500 Arkansas elementary schools over the past 10 years, and has consistently received a 1 or 2-star rating from SchoolDigger.

Interestingly, the other elementary schools in the Van Buren district, such as Parkview Elementary and Oliver Springs Elementary, generally outperform James R. Tate Elementary on test scores and statewide rankings. These schools also have lower student-teacher ratios, which may contribute to their better academic performance.

459

Students ?

18.3

Student/teacher ratio ?

$10,791

Per pupil spending ?

76.3%

Free/discounted lunch ?

406 Catcher Road
Van Buren, AR 72956

(479) 471-3130

District: Van Buren School District

Students who attend James R. Tate Elementary School usually attend:

Middle:	Butterfield Trail Middle School
High:	Van Buren High School

Racial breakdown:

White:

69.5%

Hispanic:

18.5%

Two or more races:

8.9%

See top rated Arkansas elementary schools

Compare James R. Tate Elementary School to nearby elementary schools!

At a glance

▲ Ranking trend: Improving — 16th percentile in 2015 → 43rd in 2025

Strengths

✓Ranking is trending up — up 27 percentile points since 2015

Students meeting standards (2024-2025) ?

This school34%

District avg38%

Arkansas avg36%

280^th of 495

Arkansas public elementary schools ?

Bottom 43%▲ up 28 pts since 2015

From bottom 16% (2015) to bottom 43% (2025)

See the entire ranking list of Arkansas Elementary Schools →

★★★★★

SchoolDigger rating ?

4^th of 6Elementary Schools in the Van Buren School District

102^nd of 250Van 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
2025	46.3	280 of 495	43.4%	★★☆☆☆
2024	36.8	336 of 497	32.4%	★★☆☆☆
2023	27.3	380 of 492	22.8%	★☆☆☆☆
2022	41.3	316 of 487	35.1%	★★☆☆☆
2021	33.9	356 of 496	28.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2019	27.3	378 of 488	22.5%	★☆☆☆☆
2018	36.8	338 of 480	29.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2017	22.2	406 of 485	16.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2016	24.0	412 of 494	16.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2015	21.8	392 of 466	15.9%	★☆☆☆☆
2014	23.1	407 of 471	13.6%	★☆☆☆☆
2013	23.1	413 of 476	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2012	18.0	418 of 468	10.7%	★☆☆☆☆
2011	25.8	399 of 471	15.3%	★☆☆☆☆
2010	15.7	414 of 457	9.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2009	31.0	347 of 445	22.0%	★☆☆☆☆
2008	20.7	381 of 439	13.2%	★☆☆☆☆
2007	12.1	403 of 440	8.4%	☆☆☆☆☆
2006	24.0	328 of 402	18.4%	★☆☆☆☆
2005	40.1	288 of 411	29.9%	★★☆☆☆

By subject vs Arkansas (2024-2025) ?

Mathematics39%~ state avg

Science34%-4 vs state

English Language Arts33%~ state avg

Reading32%-4 vs state

★

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Schools Near James R. Tate Elementary School

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

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2025)				Ranking (2024)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2025)				ATLAS Reading (2025)				ATLAS Mathematics (2025)				ATLAS Science (2025)				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	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	SchoolDigger Rating (2025)	Average Standard Score (2024)	Statewide Rank (2024)	State Percentile (2024)	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
James R. Tate Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	406 Catcher Road	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3130	459	25	18.3	76.3%	319 (69.5%)	7 (1.5%)	85 (18.5%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.9%)	46.3	280^th of 495 public elementary schools	43.4%		36.8	336^th of 497 public elementary schools	32.4%	56	40.0	33.9	25.4	33.2	35.7	30.9	28.4	31.7	37.1	35.3	44.8	39.0	35.7	32.3	32.8	33.7	$10,791	$901	$9,890
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%)	36.2	336^th of 495 public elementary schools	32.1%		32.2	365^th of 497 public elementary schools	26.6%	29	24.6	22.1	33.3	26.9	20.3	23.2	36.0	26.7	36.2	36.2	38.7	37.1	20.2	30.4	32.0	27.7	$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%)	19.1	415^th of 495 public elementary schools	16.2%		24.9	393^rd of 497 public elementary schools	20.9%	22	17.2	30.3	15.6	21.6	12.5	26.4	17.2	19.1	14.1	27.6	21.9	21.6	17.2	26.4	21.9	22.0	$11,760	$1,308	$10,452
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%)	66	159^th of 495 public elementary schools	67.9%		68.9	146^th of 497 public elementary schools	70.6%	13	37.0	43.0	41.8	40.7	37.0	36.7	38.8	37.4	43.8	58.2	56.7	53.0	48.0	51.9	28.4	43.4	$9,710	$662	$9,047
Alma Intermediate School	Public	3-5	1220 West Collum Lane	Alma	72921	Crawford County	Alma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 632-2166	685	36	19.2	50.7%	555 (81.0%)	10 (1.5%)	38 (5.5%)	3 (0.4%)	20 (2.9%)	0 (0.0%)	59 (8.6%)	51	252^nd of 495 public elementary schools	49.1%		47	274^th of 497 public elementary schools	44.9%	22	35.1	32.4	35.8	34.5	33.3	30.1	38.2	34.0	37.9	43.4	39.0	40.1	43.9	31.9	33.8	36.4	$10,089	$1,394	$8,695
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%)	69.5	146^th of 495 public elementary schools	70.5%		77.4	91^st of 497 public elementary schools	81.7%	55	35.6	48.5	43.2	42.4	35.6	41.1	40.9	39.3	50.6	57.4	47.7	51.6	43.8	45.6	45.4	45.0	$9,564	$917	$8,647
Spradling Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-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%)	26.1	383^rd of 495 public elementary schools	22.6%		30.7	373^rd of 497 public elementary schools	24.9%	10	24.5	34.0	12.5	23.2	26.6	36.0	19.6	27.1	22.4	24.0	25.0	23.9	24.4	30.0	19.6	24.6	$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%)	17.6	428^th of 495 public elementary schools	13.5%		13.7	451^st of 497 public elementary schools	9.3%	23	25.7	21.4	18.7	22.1	24.2	24.6	20.3	23.1	17.1	21.3	17.0	18.4	22.9	14.8	10.2	16.3	$14,863	$2,223	$12,640
Alma Primary School	Public	PK, KG-2	1600 Hwy. 64 East	Alma	72921	Crawford County	Alma School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 632-5100	704	39	17.8	50.7%	549 (78.0%)	9 (1.3%)	44 (6.3%)	6 (0.9%)	12 (1.7%)	1 (0.1%)	83 (11.8%)								(n/a)																	$10,303	$1,063	$9,240
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%)	71.2	131^st of 495 public elementary schools	73.5%		62.5	187^th of 497 public elementary schools	62.4%	56	56.0	45.0	31.1	44.0	52.0	46.7	35.2	44.5	73.3	58.3	39.2	56.9	57.3	38.3	33.8	43.6	$9,607	$596	$9,011

Frequently Asked Questions about James R. Tate Elementary School

What is the racial makeup of James R. Tate Elementary School?

Students at James R. Tate Elementary School are 69% White, 19% Hispanic, 9% Two or more races, 2% African American.

What schools do graduates of James R. Tate Elementary School attend?

Students who attend James R. Tate Elementary School usually go on to attend:

Middle : Butterfield Trail Middle School
High : Van Buren High School

Is James R. Tate Elementary School a good school?

James R. Tate Elementary School ranks 280^th of 495 Arkansas elementary schools. SchoolDigger rates this school 2 stars out of 5.

What district is James R. Tate Elementary School in?

Van Buren School District

How many students attend James R. Tate Elementary School?

In the 2024-25 school year, 459 students attended James R. Tate Elementary School.

Rate James R. Tate Elementary School!

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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.