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Best Elementary Schools in Zip Code 72956

At a glance

Schools

2,654

Students

Top rankedOliver Springs Elementary School108^th of 491 Arkansas elementary schools

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Biggest riser

Oliver Springs Elementary School up 38 spots statewide this year

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Smallest classes

King Elementary School 15.3 students per teacher

SchoolDigger ratings

4★

3★

2★

1★

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Summary:

This analysis examines six elementary schools serving grades K-5 in zip code 72956 (Van Buren, Arkansas), all part of the Van Buren School District, which is ranked in the 51st percentile statewide.

Oliver Springs Elementary School is the top performer, consistently earning a 4-star rating and ranking in the top 22% of Arkansas elementary schools. It leads the group in English Language Arts (53% proficient) and Reading (52.5% proficient), while also achieving strong Mathematics scores (62.7% proficient). Parkview Elementary School is a strong contender, excelling particularly in Science with 54.2% of students proficient, the highest in the data set. Rena Elementary School also performs well, leading in Mathematics (64.8% proficient) and showing strong 4th-grade Math scores (78.3%). In contrast, King Elementary School is the lowest-performing school, consistently ranking in the bottom 21% of the state with the lowest test scores across all subjects, including only 20.7% proficient in Science. Central Elementary School shows a clear upward trend, improving its state ranking from the 27th to the 35th percentile, with its 5th-grade Mathematics score (60.7%) being the second-highest in the group. James R. Tate Elementary School falls in the middle of the pack.

Key findings reveal that higher spending does not guarantee better results; the two highest-spending schools, Central ($13,624 per student) and King ($11,760), are the lowest-performing, while the top performers, Oliver Springs ($9,564) and Parkview ($9,710), spend the least. Socioeconomic status is a strong predictor of performance, with the top schools having the lowest free/reduced lunch rates (Oliver Springs at 53.74%, Rena at 54.83%) and the bottom schools having the highest (King at 86.27%, Central at 75.32%). Additionally, a smaller student-teacher ratio is not a silver bullet, as King has the smallest class sizes (15.3 students per teacher) but the worst outcomes. The district's average ranking masks wide disparities, meaning a family's choice of elementary school within the district significantly impacts a child's educational experience.

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Ranking:

E Elementary M Middle H High A Alternative P Private

Choose columns to see: Summary School Students/Teachers Ranking Test Scores Finance All

School													Students/Teachers											Ranking (2026)				Ranking (2025)				ATLAS English Language Arts (2026)				ATLAS Reading (2026)				ATLAS Mathematics (2026)				ATLAS Science (2026)				Per Pupil Expenditures (2024)
Name	Type	Grades	Address	City	Zip	County	District	Is Charter	Is Magnet	Is Virtual	Is Title I	Phone	Enrollment	Full-time Teachers	Student/ Teacher Ratio	Free/Discounted Lunch Recipients (2025)	White	Black	Hispanic	Asian	American Indian	Pacific Islander	Two or More Races	Average Standard Score (2026)	Statewide Rank (2026)	State Percentile (2026)	SchoolDigger Rating (2026)	Average Standard Score (2025)	Statewide Rank (2025)	State Percentile (2025)	Rank Change from Previous Year	ATLAS English Language Arts 3rd Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 4th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts 5th Grade	ATLAS English Language Arts All Grades	ATLAS Reading 3rd Grade	ATLAS Reading 4th Grade	ATLAS Reading 5th Grade	ATLAS Reading All Grades	ATLAS Mathematics 3rd Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 4th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics 5th Grade	ATLAS Mathematics All Grades	ATLAS Science 3rd Grade	ATLAS Science 4th Grade	ATLAS Science 5th Grade	ATLAS Science All Grades	Per Pupil Expenditures Total	Sub-total from Federal Funds	Sub-total from State/Local Funds
Rena Elementary School	Public	K-5	720 Rena Road	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3190	414	21	19.3	54.8%	279 (67.4%)	6 (1.4%)	63 (15.2%)	7 (1.7%)	4 (1.0%)	0 (0.0%)	55 (13.3%)	64.2	178^th of 491 public elementary schools	63.7%		71.2	131^st of 495 public elementary schools	73.5%	47	42.7	55.4	37.1	46.1	44.2	57.8	38.8	47.9	61.8	78.3	50.0	64.8	36.8	41.0	38.7	39.0	$9,607	$596	$9,011
Central Elementary School	Public	K-5	913 N 24 St	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-7059	466	25	18.3	75.3%	296 (63.5%)	14 (3.0%)	74 (15.9%)	8 (1.7%)	6 (1.3%)	0 (0.0%)	68 (14.6%)	38.4	321^st of 491 public elementary schools	34.6%		36.2	336^th of 495 public elementary schools	32.1%	15	28.0	32.2	34.5	31.4	26.5	32.3	32.8	30.3	33.9	45.2	60.7	46.1	32.3	32.2	50.8	38.2	$13,624	$3,016	$10,608
King Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	411 North 20th St	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-2661	437	28	15.3	86.3%	179 (41.0%)	13 (3.0%)	169 (38.7%)	5 (1.1%)	2 (0.5%)	1 (0.2%)	68 (15.6%)	16.5	435^th of 491 public elementary schools	11.4%		19.1	415^th of 495 public elementary schools	16.2%	20	30.4	31.2	20.8	27.2	26.6	31.2	16.9	24.5	29.1	23.0	24.7	25.8	21.6	21.3	19.5	20.7	$11,760	$1,308	$10,452
James R. Tate Elementary School	Public	PK, KG-5	406 Catcher Road	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3130	459	25	18.3	76.3%	319 (69.5%)	7 (1.5%)	85 (18.5%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	0 (0.0%)	41 (8.9%)	33.6	347^th of 491 public elementary schools	29.3%		46.3	280^th of 495 public elementary schools	43.4%	67	35.7	33.3	27.9	32.2	33.3	37.5	33.8	35.0	42.8	36.1	28.0	35.2	37.5	31.9	33.8	34.2	$10,791	$901	$9,890
Parkview Elementary School	Public	K-5	619 Parkview	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 474-8730	437	23	18.8	65.7%	280 (64.1%)	9 (2.1%)	76 (17.4%)	4 (0.9%)	3 (0.7%)	1 (0.2%)	64 (14.6%)	69.4	143^rd of 491 public elementary schools	70.9%		66	159^th of 495 public elementary schools	67.9%	16	47.4	57.7	43.8	49.3	47.4	47.9	38.8	44.6	48.7	63.4	51.3	54.1	55.1	67.6	41.3	54.2	$9,710	$662	$9,047
Oliver Springs Elementary School	Public	K-5	505 Northridge Drive East	Van Buren	72956	Crawford County	Van Buren School District	No	No	No	Yes	(479) 471-3120	441	24	18.1	53.7%	295 (66.9%)	4 (0.9%)	85 (19.3%)	3 (0.7%)	7 (1.6%)	1 (0.2%)	46 (10.4%)	76.2	108^th of 491 public elementary schools	78.0%		69.5	146^th of 495 public elementary schools	70.5%	38	61.7	50.7	44.6	53.0	56.8	52.0	47.7	52.5	64.2	57.2	67.7	62.7	50.6	45.5	47.7	48.0	$9,564	$917	$8,647

Cities Near Zip Code 72956

City	Distance	# of Schools	Statewide Rank
Van Buren	0.22 mi	10	118^th
Fort Smith	2.83 mi	28	123^rd
Little Rock	5.84 mi	75	167^th
Alma	6.6 mi	4	29^th
Barling	8.06 mi	1	81^st

See the top AR Arkansas cities

SchoolDigger data sources: National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education, the U.S. Census Bureau and the Arkansas Division of Elementary and Secondary Education.

IMPORTANT DISCLAIMERS: Not all boundaries are included. We make every effort to ensure that boundaries are up-to-date. But it's important to note that these are approximations and are for general informational purposes only. To verify legal descriptions of boundaries or school locations, contact your local tax assessor's office and/or school district.