Summary:
In zip code 72476, there is one elementary school, Walnut Ridge Elementary School, serving grades PK through 6 with 630 students in the Walnut Ridge area.
Walnut Ridge Elementary School is part of the Lawrence County School District, which holds a 2-star rating and ranks in the 39th percentile among Arkansas districts. The school itself has consistently ranked in the bottom 20-30% of Arkansas elementary schools over the past three years, with its ranking declining from the 30th percentile to the 16th percentile. Test scores are below district and state averages in all subjects, with overall proficiency rates around 24-28% compared to state averages of 39-44%. A majority of students (61%) qualify for free or reduced lunch, indicating economic challenges. The school spends $11,058 per student and has a student-teacher ratio of 16.4.
There are some positive trends, as the school showed year-over-year improvement in all subjects from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with gains of 3-5 percentage points. However, a critical concern is the "3rd Grade Math Cliff," where only 16.3% of 3rd graders were proficient in math in 2025-2026, a staggering 29 points below the state average. Science is also a consistent weakness, with the largest gap compared to the state (15.7 points below) and 5th grade science proficiency at just 19%. While the school is improving, the pace is not yet closing the achievement gap, and targeted interventions in early-grade math and science curriculum appear necessary.
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