Arkansas
1,076 Schools283 Districts489K Students
$14,269
Avg Per-Pupil Spend
≈ nat'l avg68.7%
Free Lunch Rate
+16.5pp vs nat'l87.1%
Graduation Rate
≈ nat'l avg41/100
Opportunity Score
LimitedAbout Arkansas Public Schools
Arkansas has undergone a substantial education overhaul in recent years, driven by the LEARNS Act of 2023 — one of the most sweeping state education reforms in recent memory. The law expanded school choice, created a universal Education Freedom Account voucher program, raised minimum teacher salaries to $50,000, and introduced literacy-based grade promotion requirements. The state's 234 school districts span the agricultural Mississippi Delta, the Ozark mountains, and the metro Little Rock area, with wide disparities in resources between them. Arkansas has historically grappled with rural school consolidation challenges and below-average per-pupil spending, but the LEARNS Act represents a deliberate pivot toward outcomes-based accountability and parental choice at scale.
Largest District
SPRINGDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT
23K students
Highest Per-Pupil
THE EXCEL CENTER
$34,208/student
Top Graduation Rate
GREENWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT
97.5% grad rate
School Districts (283)
Per-pupil spending in Arkansas ranges from $7,519 to $34,208 across districts with available data. State avg: $14,269.
| District | Schools | Students | Per-Pupil | Grad Rate | Free Lunch | Opp. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Large Districts — 10,000+ Students | ||||||
| SPRINGDALE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 29 | 23K | $12,773↓10% | 73.4%↓16% | 69.9% | 42 |
| LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT | 40 | 21K | $15,987↑12% | 92.2%↑6% | 70.7% | 40 |
| BENTONVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 23 | 18K | $13,522↓5% | 93.3%↑7% | 20.5%↓70% | 38 |
| ROGERS SCHOOL DISTRICT | 23 | 16K | $12,254↓14% | 86.3% | 52.2%↓24% | 47 |
| FORT SMITH SCHOOL DISTRICT | 26 | 14K | $15,628↑10% | 93.3%↑7% | 72.2% | 35 |
| PULASKI CO. SPEC. SCHOOL DIST. | 26 | 12K | $16,702↑17% | 82.7%↓5% | 62.0%↓10% | 41 |
| CABOT SCHOOL DISTRICT | 16 | 11K | $11,040↓23% | 91.2% | 43.9%↓36% | 40 |
| FAYETTEVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 16 | 11K | $18,098↑27% | 89.4% | 36.2%↓47% | 42 |
| CONWAY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 16 | 10K | $12,793↓10% | 61.9%↓29% | 57.2%↓17% | 41 |
| Medium Districts — 1,000–9,999 Students | ||||||
| BRYANT SCHOOL DISTRICT | 12 | 9,766 | $10,724↓25% | 90.0% | 51.7%↓25% | 44 |
| N. LITTLE ROCK SCHOOL DISTRICT | 14 | 8,200 | $13,430↓6% | 80.3%↓8% | 99.9%↑45% | 34 |
| JONESBORO SCHOOL DISTRICT | 11 | 6,709 | $14,998↑5% | 89.0% | 100.0%↑45% | 42 |
| VAN BUREN SCHOOL DISTRICT | 11 | 5,911 | $13,458↓6% | 87.6% | 57.6%↓16% | — |
| BENTON SCHOOL DISTRICT | 7 | 5,904 | $10,911↓24% | 97.0%↑11% | 39.3%↓43% | — |
| RUSSELLVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 10 | 5,602 | $14,197 | 90.0% | 50.8%↓26% | 42 |
| WEST MEMPHIS SCHOOL DISTRICT | 10 | 4,954 | $18,959↑33% | 72.2%↓17% | 99.8%↑45% | — |
| SILOAM SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 4,612 | $12,425↓13% | 90.0% | 57.1%↓17% | — |
| JACKSONVILLE NORTH PULASKI SCHOOL DISTRICT | 7 | 4,517 | $15,294↑7% | 76.0%↓13% | 99.8%↑45% | 39 |
| SHERIDAN SCHOOL DISTRICT | 7 | 4,325 | $12,418↓13% | 90.0% | 41.9%↓39% | 41 |
| LAKE HAMILTON SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 4,131 | $12,519↓12% | 60.6%↓30% | 64.8%↓6% | — |
| EL DORADO SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 4,051 | $14,077 | 91.0% | 100.0%↑45% | 38 |
| SEARCY SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 4,003 | $15,090↑6% | 87.0% | 48.1%↓30% | — |
| GREENWOOD SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 3,956 | $11,055↓23% | 97.5%↑12% | 29.9%↓56% | 46 |
| MARION SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 3,902 | $15,139↑6% | 54.9%↓37% | 75.8%↑10% | 41 |
| TEXARKANA SCHOOL DISTRICT | 8 | 3,888 | $14,288 | 81.0%↓7% | 99.7%↑45% | — |
| GREENBRIER SCHOOL DISTRICT | 7 | 3,862 | $12,979↓9% | 97.5%↑12% | 39.5%↓43% | — |
| MOUNTAIN HOME SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 3,861 | $11,323↓21% | 85.0% | 43.8%↓36% | 41 |
| ARKANSAS VIRTUAL ACADEMY | 3 | 3,733 | $9,121↓36% | 66.0%↓24% | 69.5% | 45 |
| HOT SPRINGS SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 3,690 | $15,918↑12% | 71.0%↓18% | 100.0%↑45% | — |
| GREENE CO. TECH SCHOOL DIST. | 6 | 3,652 | $11,834↓17% | 97.5%↑12% | 44.5%↓35% | — |
| NETTLETON SCHOOL DISTRICT | 7 | 3,633 | $13,241↓7% | 89.0% | 91.3%↑33% | 42 |
| BATESVILLE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 3,469 | $11,722↓18% | 92.0%↑6% | 52.8%↓23% | — |
| LAKESIDE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 3,466 | $14,459 | 95.0%↑9% | 46.9%↓32% | — |
| LISA ACADEMY CHARTER | 8 | 3,454 | $11,632↓18% | 81.7%↓6% | 64.0%↓7% | 42 |
| BEEBE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 3,394 | $12,190↓15% | 92.0%↑6% | 49.3%↓28% | — |
| PINE BLUFF SCHOOL DISTRICT | 9 | 3,261 | $17,171↑20% | 68.0%↓22% | 99.9%↑45% | 38 |
| ARKANSAS CONNECTIONS ACADEMY | 1 | 3,231 | $7,519↓47% | — | 33.5%↓51% | 38 |
| PARAGOULD SCHOOL DISTRICT | 7 | 3,217 | $11,481↓20% | 87.0% | 100.0%↑45% | — |
| ALMA SCHOOL DISTRICT | 4 | 3,143 | $12,494↓12% | 95.0%↑9% | 43.4%↓37% | 37 |
| BROOKLAND SCHOOL DISTRICT | 4 | 3,060 | $10,497↓26% | 92.0%↑6% | 29.2%↓57% | — |
| VILONIA SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 3,053 | $10,846↓24% | 95.0%↑9% | 42.6%↓38% | 45 |
| WHITE HALL SCHOOL DISTRICT | 6 | 3,028 | $15,591↑9% | 89.0% | 55.4%↓19% | 38 |
| VALLEY VIEW SCHOOL DISTRICT | 4 | 2,994 | $11,736↓18% | 97.5%↑12% | 28.0%↓59% | 42 |
| ESTEM HIGH CHARTER | 5 | 2,890 | $11,688↓18% | 97.5%↑12% | 70.0% | 31 |
| HARRISON SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 2,774 | $12,996↓9% | 92.0%↑6% | 50.4%↓27% | 41 |
| FARMINGTON SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 2,685 | $13,131↓8% | — | 28.2%↓59% | — |
| MAGNOLIA SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 2,662 | $13,283↓7% | 92.0%↑6% | 65.6% | 40 |
| PEA RIDGE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 2,494 | $13,757 | 87.0% | 31.7%↓54% | — |
| WYNNE SCHOOL DISTRICT | 4 | 2,484 | $12,356↓13% | 97.5%↑12% | 61.1%↓11% | 45 |
| SO. CONWAY CO. SCHOOL DISTRICT | 5 | 2,459 | $12,978↓9% | 87.0% | 100.0%↑45% | 39 |
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Frequently Asked Questions
Data sourced from NCES Common Core of Data, EDFacts, and Opportunity Atlas. Figures reflect the most recent available federal dataset (2021-22 / 2022-23). Learn more about our data sources.