Best Public Schools in Zip Code 71901

This analysis examines 12 schools in zip code 71901 (Hot Springs, AR), serving elementary through high school grades across four districts: Lakeside School District (Garland), Hot Springs School District, Fountain Lake School District, and Cutter Morning Star School District.

The Lakeside School District (Garland) is the clear standout, with all its schools—including Lakeside High School, Lakeside Junior High School, Lakeside Middle School, Lakeside Intermediate School, and Lakeside Primary School—consistently outperforming state averages. For example, Lakeside Junior High School ranks in the top 12% of Arkansas middle schools, with 90.2% of 8th graders proficient in Algebra. In contrast, Langston Elementary Leadership Academy Magnet School is the lowest-performing school, with proficiency rates in the teens and twenties. A key finding is that higher spending does not guarantee better results: Fountain Lake Charter High School spends $17,985 per student but ranks in the 55th percentile, while Lakeside Junior High School spends only $9,518 per student and ranks in the 88th percentile.

Interesting takeaways include a bright spot at Hot Springs Junior Academy, where 72.2% of 9th graders are proficient in Biology—matching the state average despite the school having a 99.88% free/reduced lunch rate. Meanwhile, Cutter-Morning Star High School has a 3.0% dropout rate, significantly higher than Lakeside High School's 0.4%. Across the zip code, Algebra proficiency is a universal challenge, with even high-performing Lakeside High School achieving only 18% proficiency, well below the state average of 36.9%.