Arkansas Releases First-Ever Districtwide A-F Grades

The Arkansas Department of Education (ADE) has released its first-ever A-F letter grades for entire school districts, giving communities across the state a broader look at how their schools are performing
under state standards.

The new district grades, announced last week, follow the release of individual school grades in September. Alongside the report, ADE launched a redesigned website to help parents and community members more easily explore and understand the data.

“We want to be clear and transparent and provide as much information as possible,” said Jacob Oliva, Arkansas Secretary of Education. “The team has done a really good job making sure all the language is clear and concise and that we can give accurate information.”

District grades are based on the same five categories used to evaluate high schools:
• Students meeting grade-level expectations on the ATLAS tests
• Year-to-year student growth
• Growth among the bottom 25% of students
• Graduation rates
• College and career readiness after graduation

The “readiness” category measures factors such as advanced coursework, earning college credit while in high school, or obtaining industry-recognized job certifications.

Statewide, most districts earned either a B or a C. Of Arkansas’s school districts, 196 fell into those two categories, while 23 received an A, 24 earned a D, and 11 were given an F.

Local District Grades

• Nashville School District – B
• South Pike County School District – C
• Cossatot River School District – B
• Cossatot River School District (Umpire campus) – A
• Blevins School District – C
• Dierks School District – C
• Center Point School District – A
• Mineral Springs School District – D
• Prescott School District – C
• Hope School District – C

Grades for all Arkansas schools and districts, along with detailed breakdowns by category, are available online at myschoolinfo.arkansas.gov