Best Public Schools in Zip Code 72202

The 72202 zip code in Little Rock, Arkansas, is home to eight schools serving elementary and high school students, with a total enrollment of 3,844 students managed by the Little Rock School District and the Premier High Schools Of Arkansas charter network.

The educational landscape is sharply divided. Gibbs Magnet Elementary School is the standout performer, earning a 4-star rating with 59.6% of students proficient in English Language Arts and 53.4% in Mathematics, despite a moderate poverty rate. In stark contrast, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Leadership & Language Magnet Academy and Carver STEAM Magnet Elementary School are among the lowest-ranked in the state, with 0-star ratings and poverty rates near 99%. Central High School serves as the large traditional high school, holding a solid 3-star rating and a graduation rate of 85.3%, though it struggles with Algebra proficiency at just 9.4%. The Premier High Schools, including Premier High School of Little Rock, Premier High School Online, Premier High School Of Fort Smith, and Premier High School Of Texarkana, function as alternative schools with alarmingly low graduation rates averaging 46.4% and high dropout rates, with Premier High School Online having a 55.4% dropout rate.

Key metrics reveal that high spending does not guarantee high performance: Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Academy spends $27,658 per student—the highest in the zip code—yet ranks in the bottom 1% of schools. The average poverty rate across all schools is 57.2%, but this masks extremes, with the lowest-performing elementary schools near 99% poverty. The "magnet" label also shows inconsistent results, as Gibbs Magnet thrives while MLK and Carver magnets struggle, suggesting that factors like poverty levels are more predictive of success than the school's focus. Overall, parents should consider the stark performance differences between the high-performing Gibbs Magnet, the struggling elementary schools, and the alternative Premier high schools when evaluating options in this area.