Summary:
This analysis examines three elementary schools in zip code 71913 (Hot Springs, Arkansas), serving grades PK through 6, where nearly all students face economic disadvantage, with 99.85% to 100% qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
Park Magnet An Ib Pyp World Class School is the standout performer, achieving proficiency rates roughly double those of its peers and significantly outperforming the Hot Springs School District and state averages. For example, in the 2025-2026 school year, Park Magnet’s all-grades English Language Arts proficiency was 50.2%, compared to 28.4% at Main Street Visual & Performing Arts Magnet School and 24.6% at Oaklawn Stem Magnet School. Park Magnet ranks 116th out of 491 elementary schools in Arkansas (76th percentile, 4-star rating), while Main Street ranks 381st (22nd percentile, 1-star) and Oaklawn ranks 400th (19th percentile, 1-star). Despite all three being magnet schools with specialized themes, their performance diverges wildly, suggesting factors like school leadership and curriculum implementation matter more than the magnet theme itself.
Key metrics reveal interesting contrasts. Park Magnet has the lowest spending per student ($14,223) but the highest performance, while Oaklawn has the highest spending ($16,119) but the lowest ranking, indicating that how money is spent is more critical than the amount. Grade-level anomalies include Main Street’s 6th graders outperforming the district average in English Language Arts and Math, Oaklawn’s 4th graders achieving above-average Science proficiency (45.7% vs. state 44.4%), and Park Magnet’s 3rd graders excelling dramatically in Math (64.6%) and Science (68.8%). All schools showed significant year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, though this may reflect recovery from exceptionally low prior scores rather than sustained growth.
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