Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 72949

Zip code 72949 in Ozark, Arkansas, is served by two elementary schools within the Ozark School District: Elgin B Milton Primary School (grades PK-3) and Ozark Upper Elementary School (grades 4-5), which together educate 778 students.

The most notable finding is the stark contrast in academic strengths between the two schools. Elgin B Milton Primary School is a standout in mathematics, with 58.2% of students proficient—14 points above the state average—making it the school's strongest subject. However, this math excellence does not carry over to Ozark Upper Elementary School, where math proficiency drops to 43.6%, slightly below the state average. Conversely, Ozark Upper Elementary matches the state average in reading (40.4%) and outperforms the primary school in English Language Arts, suggesting a shift in instructional focus. A significant weakness emerges in science: while Elgin B Milton is below the state average (38.8% vs. 44.0%), the gap widens dramatically at Ozark Upper Elementary, where only 32.6% of students are proficient—11.4 points behind the state. Resource allocation also differs, with Elgin B Milton spending $1,167 more per student and maintaining a lower student-teacher ratio (13.7:1) compared to Ozark Upper Elementary (18.1:1), yet this higher investment does not translate to better performance in reading or science.

Both schools have experienced a concerning decline in their state rankings and star ratings from 2023-2024 to 2025-2026, and the district itself ranks in the bottom half of Arkansas (47th percentile). While Elgin B Milton Primary School shows a remarkable strength in math, and Ozark Upper Elementary School demonstrates solid reading performance, the overall academic trajectory for elementary schools in this area is trending downward, with science being a particular area of concern for both schools.