Academies Of Math And Science School

Academies Of Math And Science School is a K-8 charter elementary school in Little Rock, AR, serving 486 students and operating as a single-school Academies Of Math And Science district, with 70.16% of students eligible for free or reduced lunch—a significantly lower poverty rate than nearly all nearby schools, which range from 95% to 99.76%.

Despite a low state ranking (389th out of 491 elementary schools, earning a 1-star rating), this school outperforms most of its immediate neighbors in core subjects. For the 2025-2026 school year, proficiency rates (30.9% in ELA, 33% in Reading, 22.4% in Math, and 31.5% in Science) are higher than those at Mabelvale Elementary School, Watson Elementary School, Exalt Academy Of Southwest Little Rock, Dr. Marian G. Lacey K-8 Academy, J.A. Fair K8 Preparatory School, Bale Elementary School, and Wakefield Elementary School. However, it is clearly outperformed by Otter Creek Elementary School, which achieves higher proficiency rates despite a 99.19% free/reduced lunch rate, showing that high poverty does not limit success.

The school shows a sharp decline in 8th-grade performance, with proficiency rates dropping dramatically (e.g., 14.3% in ELA vs. 38.2% in 7th grade), suggesting a systemic issue in the upper grades. Mathematics is the weakest subject overall, with a 22.4% proficiency rate—roughly half the state average of 44.1%. On a positive note, the school has shown remarkable year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with gains of over 10 percentage points in every subject (e.g., Reading up 15.7 points to 33%). This strong upward trend, if sustained, could help the school move from the bottom quartile to a more competitive position, especially if it addresses the 8th-grade performance cliff.