Cave Springs

Cave Springs has two schools serving prekindergarten through grade 12: Cave Springs Elementary School (PK–8, 55 students) and Cave Springs High School (grades 9–12, 111 students). The clearest concern is that both schools’ 2025–2026 results in English Language Arts I and mathematics were far below state results, especially in mathematics.

The high school led in ELA, with 8% proficient compared with 5% at the elementary school, but both were well below the state’s 26%. In mathematics, the schools tied at 3%, against 25% statewide. The high school also reported 16% in science and 26% in U.S. History, respectively 14 and 15 points below state results; it is the only school with reported results in those subjects. The high school’s 11th-grade science result was closest to its grade-specific state benchmark, 16% versus 21%, while ELA was farthest below, at 8% versus 36%.

Recent results show some gains but little overall movement. From 2024–2025 to 2025–2026, high-school ELA fell 3 points while elementary ELA rose 2; mathematics rose 1 point at the high school and stayed level at the elementary school. High-school science increased 1 point and U.S. History 7 points. SchoolDigger’s high-school ranking improved from the 3rd percentile in 2023–2024 to the 10th in 2025–2026, although ELA declined over the two test years. As context, in 2024–2025, free/reduced lunch eligible shares were 80% at the high school and 84% at the elementary school; student-teacher ratios were 19.8:1 and 13.9:1. Chronic absenteeism was a relative bright spot in 2025–2026: 3% at the high school and 0% at the elementary school, compared with 16% statewide. The schools serve different grade spans, so their all-grades results are not direct comparisons of identical student groups.