Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 72740

There are three elementary schools in zip code 72740 (Huntsville, AR), serving grades PK through 6 and all part of the Huntsville School District, which is ranked 171st out of 251 districts in Arkansas.

Huntsville Intermediate School (grades 3-5) is the academic leader, showing a clear upward trend in its state ranking (from the 28th to the 38th percentile) and is the only school in the area to score at or above the state average in any subject, specifically in 5th-grade Reading and Science. It also has the lowest spending per student ($10,167) and a student-teacher ratio of 18:1. In contrast, St. Paul Elementary School (grades PK-6) is the smallest school (121 students) with the most favorable student-teacher ratio (11.6:1) and the highest spending per student ($14,505), yet it achieves lower overall proficiency in Math and Science than Huntsville Intermediate, highlighting a spending vs. performance paradox. Watson Primary School (grades PK-2) is the largest school (516 students) but has no test score data, creating a critical gap in assessing foundational learning; it also has the highest free/reduced lunch rate (77.52%) and a high student-teacher ratio (17.5:1).

All three schools face significant socioeconomic challenges, with free/reduced lunch rates well above the state average (ranging from 71.9% to 77.52%). A key takeaway is that higher spending and smaller class sizes at St. Paul do not guarantee better academic outcomes compared to Huntsville Intermediate, which excels despite lower per-student funding. Additionally, St. Paul shows extreme grade-level volatility (e.g., 3rd-grade Math at 13.3% proficiency vs. 5th-grade Math at 40%), suggesting possible cohort effects or highly effective upper-grade instruction. The lack of data from Watson Primary means students may enter Huntsville Intermediate with significant academic challenges, potentially explaining lower 3rd-grade scores there.