Summary:
Zip code 72921 in Alma, Arkansas, is served by two elementary schools within the highly-rated Alma School District, which ranks in the 88th percentile statewide and together educate 1,389 students from Pre-K through 5th grade.
Alma Primary School (grades PK-2) focuses on building a strong early foundation with a slightly lower student-teacher ratio (17.8:1) and higher per-student spending ($10,303) compared to its counterpart. This investment appears to pay dividends at Alma Intermediate School (grades 3-5), which is the standout school in this analysis. Alma Intermediate has shown impressive academic improvement, jumping from the 45th percentile to the 61st percentile in state rankings over two years. In the most recent testing year, it outperformed the state average in every subject, with a particular strength in Mathematics where 54% of students were proficient—nearly 10 points above the state average. Both schools share a similar socioeconomic profile, with about 50.7% of students qualifying for free or reduced lunch.
A key finding is the "3rd Grade Bump" at Alma Intermediate, where 3rd graders significantly outperform their 4th and 5th grade peers in every subject, suggesting the strong foundation from Alma Primary is most evident upon entry to the intermediate school. However, a notable weakness emerges in upper elementary Reading and English Language Arts, where 4th and 5th graders score below the state average—a stark contrast to the 3rd graders' strong performance. This pattern indicates a potential challenge in upper elementary literacy instruction that the district may want to address, while the consistent socioeconomic profile across both schools suggests these performance differences are driven by curriculum and instruction rather than changes in student demographics.
Thank you for your feedback!