James R. Tate Elementary School

James R. Tate Elementary School in Van Buren, AR, is a public school serving 459 students from Pre-Kindergarten through 5th grade within the Van Buren School District, an area where over 76% of students qualify for free or reduced lunch.

James R. Tate consistently performs below both the district and state averages, with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (32.2%), Reading (35%), Mathematics (35.2%), and Science (34.2%) significantly lagging behind. This places it among the lower-performing schools in a district with wide disparities. For example, nearby Parkview Elementary School and Oliver Springs Elementary School are high-performing, 4-star schools with proficiency rates often exceeding 50%. A notable concern is the sharp decline in 5th-grade performance, where only 28% of students were proficient in Math compared to the district average of 46.3%. This suggests a potential systemic issue in the upper elementary grades. While poverty is a factor, it is not the sole driver, as schools with similar poverty rates, like Central Elementary School, outperform Tate in some subjects.

Interestingly, spending does not correlate with success at James R. Tate. The school spends $10,791 per student, more than high-performing peers like Oliver Springs ($9,564), yet achieves far lower results. This indicates that challenges likely stem from school-specific instructional and leadership factors rather than a lack of funding. A glimmer of hope exists in 3rd-grade math, where 42.8% of students were proficient, close to the state average. However, the contrast with John P. Woods Elementary School in the Fort Smith School District, a 5-star school just 6 miles away with nearly double the proficiency rates, highlights that high performance is achievable in the region, making Tate’s struggles even more pronounced.