Westside Elementary School

Westside Elementary School in Hartman, AR, serves 279 students from Pre-K through 5th grade in a community where nearly all students (98.92%) are eligible for free or reduced lunch, reflecting high levels of economic disadvantage. Despite these challenges, the school has shown remarkable resilience, climbing from a 0-star rating a decade ago to a consistent 2-star rating today, placing it in the 45th percentile statewide. Its strongest subject is Mathematics, where 46.1% of students are proficient—above the state average of 44.1%—and 5th graders particularly shine, outperforming state averages in every subject, including 57.9% proficiency in Math versus 45% statewide.

However, Westside faces a significant internal challenge: a dramatic slump in 4th grade. While 3rd graders perform near state averages, 4th grade proficiency drops sharply, with only 19.1% proficient in Reading (compared to 40.9% statewide) and 23.8% in Science (versus 44.4% statewide). This pattern is unique to Westside and not seen in nearby schools like Lamar Elementary School or Paris Elementary School, which also serve high-poverty populations but achieve higher overall scores. For instance, Paris Elementary outperforms Westside in English Language Arts (46.7% vs. 36.5%), suggesting that poverty alone doesn't determine outcomes. The school’s higher spending of $13,964 per student—more than nearby Scranton Elementary School ($10,671) and Lamar Elementary School ($12,821)—hasn't yet translated into comparable results, indicating a need for more effective resource allocation.

Westside’s steady improvement over the past decade is a testament to its efforts, but it faces stiff competition from high-performing neighbors like Scranton Elementary School (4-star) and County Line Elementary School (4-star), which are just miles away and boast proficiency rates 10-20 percentage points higher. For parents, the key takeaway is that Westside is a school on the rise, with bright spots in math and 5th grade, but it must urgently address the 4th-grade slump to continue its upward trajectory. The WESTSIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT (Johnson) has an opportunity to learn from successful nearby models to turn its higher investment into stronger outcomes for all students.