Summary:
In zip code 72852, there is a single elementary school, Oark Elementary School, a very small, rural school serving grades PK through 6 with just 107 students in the Jasper School District.
Oark Elementary School serves a highly economically disadvantaged population, with 97.2% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch. The school spends a notable $16,318 per student and maintains a favorable student-teacher ratio of 11:1. Despite these resources, academic performance is mixed. In the 2025-2026 school year, students performed at or slightly above the state average in English Language Arts (40.5% vs. 39.4%) and Reading (40.5% vs. 40.4%), but significantly below in Mathematics (26.2% vs. 44.1%) and Science (33.3% vs. 44.0%). The school's ranking has been volatile, dropping from the 31st percentile in 2023-2024 to the 15th percentile in 2024-2025, before recovering to the 33rd percentile in 2025-2026. This volatility is likely due to the small enrollment, where a single grade's performance can dramatically shift overall scores.
A key finding is the stark contrast between subjects, with strong literacy results but weak STEM performance, raising questions about resource allocation. The 5th grade stands out as a powerhouse, significantly outperforming the state in Reading (54.6% vs. 41.1%), while the 4th grade struggles, especially in Math (9.1% vs. 47%). Encouragingly, the school showed dramatic year-over-year improvement from 2024-2025 to 2025-2026, with ELA scores jumping from 18% to 40.5% and Science from 14% to 33.3%. This rapid turnaround is the most hopeful sign, though its sustainability remains uncertain given the small sample size.
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