Pine Bluff School District, AR

Original Research by School Decision on Pine Bluff School District

Pine Bluff School District serves a wide swath of southeastern Arkansas, covering most of the city of Pine Bluff plus outlying communities such as Altheimer, Sherrill, and Wabbaseka. The district took its current shape in 2021, when the Arkansas State Board of Education ordered the struggling Dollarway School District to merge into Pine Bluff, adding several schools and expanding the district’s geographic footprint overnight. Families in the former Dollarway attendance zone saw the most disruption: Dollarway High School was later folded into Pine Bluff High School in 2023, and the district reconfigured its middle grades into a junior high model, with ninth graders housed in the old Dollarway High building and seventh and eighth graders at Morehead. These consolidations mean that students who might have attended separate high schools or middle schools now share a single campus, which can shift the social and academic dynamics a family experiences.

The housing market in and around Pine Bluff is among the most affordable in the state. Home values sit well below Arkansas’s median, and rents are modest enough that a typical household spends a very small share of its income on housing. That affordability is tied to the area’s economic challenges; the city has seen a long-term population decline and a limited job base. The district’s enrollment is substantial for its grade band, but the student population is overwhelmingly Black, with very small shares of white, Hispanic, and multiracial students.

On state assessments covering grades three through eight, Pine Bluff students post proficiency rates that are consistently low in math, English language arts, and science. In most tested grades, fewer than one in ten students reaches the proficient level, and in a few grades the share is below one in twenty. Among Jefferson County’s districts, Pine Bluff’s overall proficiency index lands in the bottom quartile. Because the assessment data available covers only elementary and middle grades, the picture of high school academic performance is not complete from this source; a parent of a prospective high schooler would want to look into graduation rates and course offerings directly with the school.

Chronic absenteeism, defined as missing a substantial portion of the school year, affects about a quarter of students. That rate sits below the midpoint among county districts — a serious concern nonetheless given how much missed instruction compounds learning gaps elsewhere visible in the proficiency numbers. On district finances, Pine Bluff spends more per pupil than any comparator district in Jefferson County except itself in earlier years; spending ranks in the upper range locally.

What emerges is a district shaped by deliberate restructuring toward consolidation, serving a population facing deep economic hardship reflected in persistently low tested mastery rates and attendance challengesFamilies considering Pine Bluff School District should weigh whether supports beyond academics matter most in their decision: wraparound services, wraparound staffing ratios and extracurriculars are fields where fewer specific are available herewould merit closer inquiry from parents as actionable steps. The district’s affordability and concentratedstudent lean may align with what some families seek while others may want more variedpeer or higher scoring settings. The data does not provide detail on discipline, course access, or teacher staffing, so those are open questions best answered through direct contact with the district office.

See more original research from School Decision →

District Context

Officially reported figures, 2024-25.

Enrollment

3,133

Grades

PK–12

Schools

Student body

Hispanic 1%

Black 93%

White 3%

Asian 0%

Two+ 3%

Am. Indian / AK Native 0%

Hawaiian / Pac. Isl. 0%

Schools in this District

10 schools are officially reported under this district.

MATTHEWS ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

ROBERT F MOREHEAD MIDDLE SCHOOL

DOLLARWAY HIGH SCHOOL

BROADMOOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PINE BLUFF HIGH SCHOOL

THIRTY-FOURTH STREET ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

JACK ROBEY JR. HIGH SCHOOL

FORREST PARK/GREENVILLE PRESCHOOL

SOUTHWOOD ELEMENTARY SCHOOL

PINE BLUFF JR. HIGH

Academic Performance

Percent of students meeting or exceeding state standards, by grade.

Mathematics

6 grades reported

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

18%

Grade 6

Grade 7

11%

Grade 8

English Language Arts

6 grades reported

14%

Grade 3

11%

Grade 4

14%

Grade 5

18%

Grade 6

Grade 7

12%

Grade 8

Science

6 grades reported

12%

Grade 3

Grade 4

Grade 5

10%

Grade 6

Grade 7

11%

Grade 8

Housing & Real Estate

Data as of April 2026 | District-weighted from constituent ZIP codes

Home Values

Typical home value$85,427

Year-over-year change-5.4%

Range across 5 ZIP codes$46K to $220K

vs. state typical0.38x

vs. national typical0.23x

Home value trend (12 months)

ZIP code home values (5 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Value	YoY	Weight
71601	Pine Bluff	$46K	-12.0%	20.3%
71602	White Hall	$137K	+3.4%	8.2%
71603	Pine Bluff	$101K	+0.9%	8.0%
72046		$133K	-4.1%	4.9%
72150	Sheridan	$220K	+8.9%	0.3%

Rental Market

Typical monthly rent$833/mo

Rent trend (12 months)

ZIP code rents (1 ZIP codes)

ZIP	City	Rent/mo	YoY	Weight
71603	Pine Bluff	$833	—	8.0%

Affordability

Est. monthly mortgage (20% down at 6.48%)$431/mo

Home price / national median income1.0x

Annual rent / national median income11.9%

Rent exceeds est. mortgage by$402/mo

Comparison

State typical home value$222,300 (+3.0% YoY)

National typical home value$368,198 (+0.6% YoY)

State ZHVI trend (12 months)

National ZHVI trend (12 months)

Economic Context

30-year fixed mortgage rate6.48%

National unemployment rate4.3%

National median household income$83,730

CPI: Rent of shelter (index)447.05

30-year fixed mortgage rate (12 months)

National unemployment rate (12 months)

National median household income (12 months)

CPI: Rent of shelter (index) (12 months)

Sources: Zillow Home Value Index and Zillow Observed Rent Index (Zillow Group), Realtor.com via Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis (FRED)

Data Currently Unavailable

Civil Rights Data (CRDC)

This profile is derived exclusively from publicly available federal and state datasets. It may not reflect the most current information available. We encourage parents and families to supplement this data with information published directly on the school’s website, which may include more recent figures, additional programs, or updated enrollment data.