Summary:
This analysis examines four elementary schools in the 72204 zip code of Little Rock, Arkansas, which serve grades Pre-K through 8 and include a mix of charter and traditional public schools in a high-poverty area.
The standout school for overall performance is Academies Of Math And Science School, a charter school that significantly outperforms the three traditional public schools in the Little Rock School District. It is the only school in the zip code to achieve a 1-star rating and holds the highest state percentile rank (21st), with proficiency rates in English Language Arts (30.9%) and Science (31.5%) that are roughly double those of its peers. In contrast, Stephens Elementary is the most challenged school, consistently ranking in the bottom 1-2% of Arkansas elementary schools for three years, with the lowest proficiency rates (e.g., 14% in ELA) and a 99.37% free/reduced lunch rate. Western Hills Elementary School shows the most dramatic improvement, climbing from the 1st percentile to the 13th percentile in just two years despite a 98.51% poverty rate, suggesting effective interventions are taking hold.
Key metrics reveal pervasive challenges: average proficiency across all schools is just 21.2% in ELA and 18.7% in Math, while the average free/reduced lunch rate is 91.78%. The three Little Rock School District schools spend over $17,200 per student yet remain among the lowest-performing in the state, highlighting that spending alone does not drive results. A notable pattern is a "4th grade slump" in the district schools, where proficiency drops sharply from 3rd to 4th grade—for example, at Bale Elementary School, 4th-grade math proficiency is just 6.7% compared to 18.2% in 3rd grade. This slump is less pronounced at the charter school, which operates with a lower student-teacher ratio (16.3:1) and a lower poverty rate (70.16%), suggesting its model may be more effective for its student population.
Thank you for your feedback!